


Incarnate Of Obito Uchiha

by Elena_Parker



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU/Semi!Reincarnation fic, F/M, Obito-Uchiha-as-Sakura's-Inner-Persona!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2018-10-27 22:50:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 108,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10818396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elena_Parker/pseuds/Elena_Parker
Summary: Even a small pebble causes ripples in a pond, hence you can't expect the future to remain same when the soul of a 'once-hero' is thrust in the body of a certain pink-haired girl. Oh Shinigami-sama! what have you done? AU/Semi!Reincarnation fic. Obito-Uchiha-as-Sakura's-Inner-Persona!





	1. PROLOGUE- The Prophecy Is Broken!

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is purely for entertainment purpose. I don't own Naruto Series. Inspired by Tobbe's story- "Sakura's Glasses" on FFN net.

_No! No! No!This isn't happening!_ This is just a nightmare, _a very terrifying one at that._

No matter what he thought about his eyes – _eh, eye_ \- playing tricks on him, the image in front of him never changed. No matter how much he pinched himself, or how much he squeezed his eyes shut and willed the horrifying image to go away, it stayed the same.

Kakashi's hand that held his lightening blade, Chidori, was through Rin – _his Rin's_ \- chest.

He watched as his black, onyx eyes bled red with three spinning commas of Sharingan, taking in every detail of how his teammate – _the one whom he grudgingly once admitted to be his rival and bestfriend_ \- murdered the girl he loved the most. Kakashi's Sharingan eye widened as Rin gasped, and muttered in a broken voice "Ka-Ka-shi….." Something inside of him shattered in a million pieces as blood trickled down from her mouth as her eyes fluttered close, her body swaying from her one foot to other.

Kakashi pulled out his hand swiftly, like the cold blooded murderer he was – _a part of him screamed inside of him in agony, in pain of heartbreak and treachery_ \- and Rin's body fell on the ground over her back, and lay motionless.

Something inside both the boys snapped, as each of their red eyes of Sharingan morphed into something more powerful, something that is called as the _Mangekyo Sharingan_. Kakashi's eye drooped as he felt the extent of his chakra exhaustion, and soon, he fell down, unconscious.

The Mist ninjas surrounding Rin and Kakashi cursed under their breath. They didn't thing the brat had it in him to kill the girl before she reached Konoha and unleashed the three tails in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Their plan was going perfectly when they had kidnapped the girl and sealed the three tails inside her, and letting his teammate take her again back to their village. Their plan was ruined when the girl jumped in front of the kid's Lightening attack. _Damn tree huggers, what do they teach their kids these days?_

But Obito didn't know that it wasn't Kakashi's fault that Rin jumped in front of his Chidori, and got herself killed. _No,_ he just saw Kakashi killing Rin, which is what Madara and Zetsu had wanted. As his body went numb and a bone settling coldness settled in his limbs, something unnatural happened. Obito's soul got split into two parts- one part which believed there has to be a reason for Kakashi to break his promise of protecting Rin and murdering her, the part who loved Rin, competed with Kakashi, never abandoned his comrades and wanted to become a Hokage, the part which was _Obito Uchiha_ of Team Seven. The other part was darker and twisted and wanted revenge for death of his Rin – _his sweet, sweet Rin_ \- the part who wanted to destroy Kakashi and everything in this world. The part which was later called as _Tobi._

He promised Rin he would avenge her. He would destroy Kakashi and the Hidden Leaf. And the beginning of the destruction would start from this very place, where Rin had died.

He screamed in agony as he killed every single one of the Mist ninjas, who attacked him thinking that he was the reinforcement send to help out Kakashi, all the while suppressing Obito's soul who begged him to stop this massacre.

_If Rin can't live, then no one gets the right to live as well._

* * *

Tobi knew what he had to do. He had to unleash the nine tails when Kushina's seal gets weakened due to her labour, and then he can control the nine tails with his _Mangekyo Sharingan_ and let him rampage over the Hidden Leaf, and then capture it.

But a part of him relented from doing so, a part of him that was Obito. Because it was _Minato Sensei_ and _Kushina-nee_ , who always believed in him even when everyone thought he was a disgrace for an Uchiha, and always made him strive to be better. _How could he do it to them?_ If he unleashed the nine tails, there is no doubt Kushina-nee will die due to the labour and the broken seal, and Minato Sensei would never sit idle as the fox rampages on Konoha, and would gladly die trying to save the village.

He felt uneasy as Obito tried his best to make him stop from acting on his plans.

White Zetsu could tell Tobi was feeling uneasy. "What happened?" He asked. Black Zetsu scoffed and sneered **"Are you going to back out now?"**

No, Tobi couldn't back out now. Capturing the nine tails was the first part of the plan. When all the nine biju are collected, then they will start Project Tsukuyomi, and then everything will be fine. Rin will be back again, and everyone will be happy.

He was doing this for Rin. _His Rin._

Anyway, when Project Tsukuyomi will be completed, everything will be fine once again. _Just like old days._

So he suppressed Obito inside his mind and locked it up in a very dark corner, as he clenched his fist and he said "No, I won't."

As Kushina's screams rang around the clearing, Tobi prepared to attack.

_It's time._

* * *

The Shinigami was very lazy. Not many people know that, of course – _his reputation would go down the drain if this little info ever leaked out-_ but those who did knew quite well about his antics. There was quite a widespread rumour among immortals, that the Shinigami must have been a Nara when he had been alive – _which by the way, would've been millions of years ago, or something like that_ \- because honestly, the Shinigami could beat any Nara in laziness. Of course it was only a rumour, and hence no one had proof. But still, the immortals, like Fate and Time, knew Shinigami's little antics. The Spirit was way too lazy for his own good.

This was the very reason why the Shinigami was not very happy. Uh, not because Fate and Time knew he was lazy – _since they've been the terror trio for centuries, and hence knew everything about each other, so he had no need to worry_ \- but it was because of a particular soul. Or, you can say two. _Eh, whatever._

The thing was, since the moment Obito Uchiha's soul had been split into two, it has become a headache for the Shinigami. One part of the soul known as Tobi, kept repressing the other one, such that now the Obito part of soul was on the verge of dying. But the Shinigami didn't want to extract that part of the soul, because it would be such a drag to go twice to retract the other part of the very same soul – _let's just pretend that he didn't say that._

Hence, the Shinigami was not happy. He figured he will retract the two split souls at the same time, and not go twice to extract either of the soul any time and waste the precious time he had to either ask Fate for a date, or to torture the souls he had captured. It has definitely nothing to do with the two women – _Rin and Kushina_ \- forcing him to find out a solution of this problem without retracting the 'Obito' soul to the realm of the Dead. Meh, women are so troublesome. – _Ssh, don't let Fate hear you that, or she's gonna kick your ass, literally. And it definitely hurts like hell._

So, he can't retract Obito's soul now. But he also can't let Tobi suppress Obito again and again, or he'd have no choice but to retract Obito. Which left him only one option- placing Obito's soul into another body with a soul that is capable of compromising with his soul.

_And he had just the perfect soul in mind._

* * *

Fukasaku and Shima (Pa Toad and Ma Toad) were definitely startled when Gamamaru-the great Toad sage opened his eyes in alarm, and called out in his feeble voice "Fukasaku, Shima, Bring Jiraiya boy to me."

"What happened?" Fukasaku asked in alarm.

The Great Toad Sage looked down at the little figure of Pa Toad and said in his raspy voice, but the urgency of the matter was not lost on them. "The Prophecy is Broken!"


	2. Obito's Goggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obito acts as Sakura's "Inner", and tries to knock some sense into her. After some certain incidents, Sakura gets a reality check. Just when she gets determined to change for the better, she meets our favourite blonde prankster, naruto.

Sakura hears a voice in her head.

At first, it was nothing much, really. It had been just a word here and there, or a comment at the most inappropriate situation, but the point was that Sakura knew that she heard a voice inside her head. And it always sounded like a boy's. Sakura should be perturbed by this fact, but she wasn't. She was just glad that she had the strange voice backing up in her head. Whenever she was hurt, the voice soothed her, when she was scared it calmed her down, when she was sad it cheered her up, when she was angry it helped her cool down – _or urge her up to beat the offender into a pulp, but that's not the point-_ In short, the voice was her Guardian Angel. It scolded her when she was wrong, helped her out when she was stuck in something, and teased her when she embarrassed herself – _like when she had declared her love for Sasuke very loudly in the Kunoichi Class, and had turned beet red when most of the girls started insulting her along with Ino, her best friend, and the remaining girls who weren't interested in Sasuke at that time had made fun of her._

The voice was always there with her whenever she needed it, and she was glad for it.

But it was always brief, and always in her mind only, and had not much influence outside it. But that changed a fateful day, which also happened to be the day of her sixth birthday…..

* * *

Sakura just stared.

And stared.

_And stared._

Honestly, they weren't even remotely interesting – _hideous even, if you ever asked her opinion_ \- and she was sure that is she ever went anywhere near Ino-pig wearing these, she was sure her _former-bestfriend-now-rival_ would cackle at these hideous things and insult her. Her obvious reaction should be to throw this monstrosity away, and demand if her family had gone nuts, but _unfortunately_ , she couldn't.

First, and the more logical reason, was that her Grandma stood only a few metres away, gauging her expressions nervously, as if wishing that her granddaughter like her present – _because honestly the woman didn't even get much time to ponder over a birthday gift for her only granddaughter's birthday, let alone buy one_ \- and not to throw a tantrum like she usually does, and really how can she disappoint her grandma when she was looking at her with such a hopeful expression?

And the second reason, which didn't even made any sense to her, was because her brain had short-circuited. _Literally_. She just stared blankly at them, not knowing what to do. Her inner was being suspiciously quite. Usually, he wouldn't stop complaining about one thing or another – _being the loud mouthed idiot he is_ \- so really, it was very strange that he was suddenly quiet, and eerily so.

_What was so interesting in some Orange Goggles anyways?_

"So, did you like it?" Sayuri Haruno asked as she eyes her granddaughter nervously, who had been staring at the gift for about quite sometimes now.

**"I love it."** She said, her voice turning hoarse slightly as a lone tear rolled down her cheeks from her right eye.

* * *

Sakura didn't know why, but Inner insisted on wearing the orange goggles everywhere. At first, she had thought that inner would soon get fed up with his new obsession with these goggles, but boy, was she wrong. She had taken down her goggles for bath this morning, and Inner started ranting in her mind about how careless she was being, and what if she forgot where she had kept the goggles, and he even had the gall to say that **'what if the poor goggles would run away from her, thinking that she had abandoned them?** ' For Kami's sake, these were just goggles! It's not like they'd suddenly get a pair of legs out of nowhere!

What was so special about these goggles anyways?

Even though Sakura won't ever agree, but truth was that she has gotten to like the orange goggles. True, Grandma Sayuri has really the worst color choice ever – _because orange, seriously?_ \- she had come to like the bright shade of her orange goggles. Even though it clashes with almost all of her pretty dresses – _except the orange skirt, which once again is because of the courtesy of Grandma Sayuri-_ she liked wearing her goggles. It made inner happy, and Sakura liked it when Inner was happy. When he as happy, he is less ranting, and more funny and helpful.

She may not like those orange goggles as much as Inner did, but it doesn't mean it gave others right to make fun of her Inner's precious, _precious_ goggles.

"I thought you'd have a better fashion sense than this, Forehead." Ino sneered at Sakura, who sat alone in the field and was arranging flowers for the Kunoichi class, like many of the girls were doing under the eyes of Akira-Sensei. "I mean Orange Goggles, really?"

Sakura looked up at Ino, unimpressed, and said "And what's wrong with my goggles, Ino-pig? I think they're quite cute."

**'Yeah, you tell her, Outer!'** Her Inner cheered for her.

Ino snorted and said "Except for the fact that they're orange, and hideous, and clash horribly with your outfit? Nothing. It makes your large forehead stand out even more."

Sakura bristled at her comment.

**'Hey! How dare she insult My Goggles?!'** Inner screeched out in outrage.

_'She just insulted us and all you can think about is of those hideous goggles?'_ Sakura thought back disbelievingly.

**'My goggles are not hideous.'** Inner grumbled about how girls these days have zero fashion sense.

Sakura snorted inwardly and thought back _'Yes, it is.'_

**'No, it's not.'**

_'Yes.'_

**'No.'**

_'Yes.'_

**'No.'**

_'Ye-'_

Ino's shrill voice cut through their mental argument-

"If you keep wearing that thing, then Sasuke would never even look at you."

_Ouch._ That was a low blow. Even though he never liked it, Inner knew how much Sakura adores Sasuke. It almost always reminded him of how smitten he had been with Rin. And he never got to tell his true feelings to Rin, who had died because of Kaka-

Stop Right there, no need to go through that entire mental trauma once again. Now's not the time to think about that shit.

He felt sick of how Ino treated Sakura. Sure, Sakura can be sometimes annoying and ill-tempered, but he knew that all this crap was started by Ino. Sakura had thought of Ino as her best friend, since that one time when she scared away her bullies and had given her a red ribbon as a token of their friendship. But when Sakura confessed her feelings for Sasuke to her – _which he still thinks is just puppy love, and nothing else_ \- Ino began to get distant, and even started helping out Ami and her friends to bully Sakura. If it hadn't been for him, her Inner, she'd be still that meek little girl who was too shy to speak to anyone, thinking that others would make fun of her slightly larger than normal forehead.

To think that once best friends would turn out to be rivals just because of a puny little thing like love.

And it wasn't even love, per se. It was just an obsession. He was sure this phase would pass _. Er,_ he hoped it would.

Even though it wasn't true love per say, Ino had no right to hurt Sakura's feelings like that. No one – _other than him_ \- was allowed to criticize Sakura like that.

**"Being pretty is not everything in this world."** In was taken aback when she heard Sakura's voice, which was slightly hoarser than usual. It was as if a dark aura surrounded her, and her emerald green eyes glared at her, especially her right one. The flower bouquet in her hands was crumpled by her tight grip. Ino took a step back in fear when Sakura said **"Beauty means nothing if you're rotten from inside. If Sasuke cares about my outer beauty, then he doesn't deserve me. Beauty comes from within, Ino, remember it."**

Saying this, she turned around and stormed out of the field, leaving a baffled Ino behind.

* * *

"Oh no! I'm late for class!" Sakura screeched as she quickly grabbed her towel and clothes and rushed into bathroom.

**'And whose fault is that?'**

_'Yours!'_

**'WHAT? How is it my fault? I wasn't the one who insisted on reading a romance novel till midnight?'**

_'You could have woken me up on time, at least, Inner!'_

**'And what fun would that be, Outer?'**

_'I hate you!'_

**'You wish!'**

Sakura growled under her breath as she got ready as soon as possible –all the while arguing with Inner- and quickly ran out of the house, ignoring her breakfast since she was getting late.

**'At least have breakfast, you idiot! We didn't even eat dinner last night because of that dieting of yours! And you're only six! If you keep this up, you're gonna starve us to death!'**

_'Oh, hush you!'_

**'Go back right now and finish breakfast, Outer!'**

_'But Iruka Sensei will give us detention if we are late! And I don't want to look bad in front of Sasuke!'_

**'Damn you and your Sasuke!'**

_'Inner! Don't say a bad word about Sasuke!'_

**'Sorry!'** Her Inner squeaked out. She just shook her head fondly and took a shortcut to the Academy. She was nearing the Academy when Inner suddenly interrupted her train of thoughts – _which were all about Sasuke, obviously._

**'Hey, look!'**

_'What?'_ She turned her head towards the direction Inner pointed to her, and found herself looking at an old woman who was carrying a heavy bag of groceries. The woman was panting heavily, as she dragged the bag with her. Sakura felt sympathy for the old woman. She'd have helped the woman, but she was already getting late for her class, hence she didn't have the time to help anyone out.

**'Don't you think we should help her?'**

_'But we're already late for class and Iruka-Sensei-'_

**'-would be proud of you since you helped out another person in need. We are training to become a Ninja, aren't we? And don't Ninjas protect the village and everyone in it? So shouldn't we help out those who need our help?'**

_'But If I'm late I will be punished! And then Sasuke would never even talk to me and-'_

**'Do you ever think of anyone except Sasuke? He never talks to us anyways, it's not like he'd suddenly start talking to you if you rush towards your class now. And really, are you going to leave behind a helpless old woman just because of Sasuke What if it had been Grandma Sayuri, instead of some random elder woman? Would you have done the same thing then, Outer?'**

Sakura froze up at his comment. She then sighed and thought back _'Alright, but I don't want to be later than I already am.'_

**'Don't worry, it would only take a minute or two to help the old lady, and then we'll be back at the Academy before even Iruka-Sensei knows it.'**

Oh boy was he so wrong.

* * *

"Sakura! Where have you been? You are late by two hours!" Iruka yelled at the pink haired girl, who just squeaked out and bowed to him in apology.

"I'm so sorry, Iruka Sensei! I was carrying a bag of groceries for an old lady and lost track of time!" Sakura said as she bowed down to him once again.

Iruka blinked his eyes in shock and said in a suspicious tone "You didn't meet Kakashi on your way here by any chance, have you?"

Sakura just looked back at him with confusion "…..Sensei?"

It didn't help the matter that Inner was suddenly deathly quiet in her mind, which was quite opposite of how she had been ranting in her mind about how he didn't like Sakura fantasying about Sasuke in her mind, which was _his_ territory.

Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose and said with a sigh "Nothing. Just go to your seat and be on time from now on, okay?"

"Alright Sensei!"

* * *

"Sorry, I'm late! A little girl's kitten got stuck in a tree and I had to rescue it!"

* * *

"I helped an Old Man cross the street and then carry his bags to his house, and lost track of time! Sorry!"

* * *

"I was weeding out Old Lady Hana's Garden and got late!"

* * *

"Sorry sensei! Old man Shuuya asked me to clean his roof, and I couldn't say no!"

* * *

"Hehehehe! I'm late again? I swear it's not my fault! The orphanage children wanted me to play with them, and didn't let me go for hours!"

* * *

"Sensei, you remember that old Lady Honora who manages that Bookstore in the North Part of Leaf Village, right? She asked me to take care of her Bookstore while she spends some time with her grandson who is only here for two days, and that's why I'm late. I'm so sorry, sensei!"

* * *

"Sorry Sensei, I-"

"ENOUGH SAKURA!" Iruka yelled at her, with his face red with anger. "This is the eleventh time in this month that you've been late for class!" Poor Iruka, he was having a really bad day. First he woke up on the wrong side of his bed, then spilled his coffee over his shirt because of which he had to change his uniform again, misplaced his grading papers somewhere in the staff room such that he could find it nowhere, and then he had to deal with Naruto, who had painted the school walls Orange. And now another student of his is getting out of hands with her lateness. He had had enough shit for one day.

"As a punishment, you will stay back after class for your detention."

Sakura froze up. Never in her life had she got detention, ever. This is not fair! She was just only late by an hour today! This is way better than the last time when she was late by three hours! How can Iruka sensei do this to her?

"B-But sensei-!"

"I don't want to hear any more excuses from you, Sakura!"

Sakura's lips quivered and her eyes filled with tears. She didn't want to go to detention! She had heard horrible rumors about detentions. She didn't want to go to detention! But if she didn't, they'd tell her parents about her tardiness, or worse, expel her from Academy!

What will her parents think of her now? Will they be angry? Disappointed? And what about Sasuke? Would he be worried for her? He must be, right?

She looked at Sasuke from the corner of her eyes and realized that Sasuke was looking out of the window, not even caring what was going on in the class. He didn't care about her at all. Or about anyone else.

It's so cruel, isn't it she cared so much about Sasuke, yet the boy didn't even care about her one bit. It's like she didn't exist to him.

_Maybe she didn't._

**'Oh Sakura…..'**

She blocked Inner's comforting voice, not willing to listen to him. He had been right from the start, hasn't he? He had told her not to waste her time with Sasuke, because he knew didn't care for her at all. He even told her to forget about Sasuke when that one time she had gathered up enough courage to confess her feelings to Sasuke and the boy had just brushed her off and called her annoying. But still, she tried harder to impress him, in hopes that one day Sasuke would talk to her and acknowledge her, but _No!_ He never even looked her way.

_So she really meant nothing to him, does she?_

A tear slid down her cheek as she nodded to her Sensei and bowed down to him. "Alright, Sensei."

* * *

Sakura furiously scratched the floor of the classroom with her scrub, all the while screaming profanities at Sasuke inside her mind – _which honestly wasn't much since she was a six year old, and hence didn't know much curse words_ \- all the while Inner comforted her with his soothing voice. Her Inner may be an idiot most of the time, but he was also compassionate, and that was more than enough for her.

Usually, she'd rant out her frustrations to get out her anger, but she can't do that now since she wasn't alone here. Iruka Sensei had given detention to her and another boy from her class, by the name of Naru- _something_. Honestly, she didn't know about tis boy much. He was the class clown, hence she had always tried to stay away from him so that she wasn't influenced by his stupidity.

After all, Inner's stupidity was enough to last her a lifetime.

**'HEY!'**

Some strange CREAK! And CLANG! Sound interrupted her mental rants, and she looked up to see the blonde boy doing something with wires. Where did he get them anyway? He was hanging around the wires, arranging them to the door, and attaching something to the wires. What is it? Some kind of dung bombs or something?

She was torn between ignoring him, and asking him about what he was doing. In the end her curiosity got better of her, and she dropped the scrub into the bucket of water and walked towards the blonde boy. She waited for him to turn around, but after five minutes when he still didn't acknowledged her presence, she tapped his shoulder and asked "Hey, What are you doing?"

The blonde boy screamed in surprise, making her help in shock and step back from him. The boy lost his balance as he tripped on the ground, head first. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned as he sat up and turned towards her.

She was about to help him up, but then he opened his _blueblueblueblue_ eyes and she felt her heart leap to her throat.

Her mind blanked out, and suddenly an image of an older blonde man occurred before her, instead of the blonde boy.

She croaked out hoarsely, when she finally found enough courage to speak up-

**"Minato sensei?"**


	3. I Wanna be the Hokage!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura meets Konoha's two pranksters Naruto as well as Shisui, and all hell breaks loose!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you everyone for your kind reviews! I love this site! People are so kind here! Thank you so much for your support!

**"Minato-Sensei?"**

"Who? Wha-? Where?" the blonde boy exclaimed as he looked to and fro around them, and then gave Sakura a weird look. He didn't see anywhere around here. Who is she talking to? He scratched the back of his head and asked sheepishly "Hey, I didn't know there was any teacher by the name of Minato-Sensei in our Academy."

Her mind whirled with thoughts that were not her own, all of them laced with sadness and guilt. She did not understand even a bit of what was happening, just the fact that her Inner seemed to be miffed about something and was going out of control. When her headache seemed to get worse, she whimpered in pain and clutched her head, and screamed in her mind _'Inner! Stop! You're hurting me!'_

That seemed to do the trick as Inner immediately took charge and banned the thoughts away in a corner of her mind, leaving poor Sakura nursing a headache, and some irritation in her right eye.

_'What the hell just happened?'_ She asked to her Inner, but it seems like he is not in the mood to answer her question.

Huffing at his lack of response, she looked at the blonde boy in front of her, who was waving his hand in front of her.

"What ?" She snapped at the boy, who jumped back in fright.

"Ano, you just suddenly started looking at nothing creepily, and did not even answer me even when I called you." Naruto said as he huffed.

Sakura shrugged and said "Eh, whatever."

The blonde boy squinted his blue eyes at her and said "You're weird."

"Thanks for stating the obvious." She said sarcastically, rubbing her right eye a bit as the irritation still did not go away. Gah, looks like something must've gotten into her right eye. She'd just have to wash it with cold water. "By the way, what are you doing with these wires and dung bombs?" she asked in curiosity as she remembered why she had approached the blonde boy in the first place.

The boy smiled deviously and said with a foxy grin "I'm setting up a prank for Iruka Sensei. As soon as he enters through the door, the trap will trigger and BOOM!" He told her his plans animatedly ad moved his hands accordingly.

Sakura took a look at the trap with narrowed eyes, and then said haughtily. "It won't work."

"WHAT?! Naruto bristled as his face turned red with anger. "Of course it will!"

"No it won't!" Sakura said in a sing song voice.

Naruto growled angrily and pointed his finger rudely at her. "Do you want to pick up a fight? You're on!"

Sakura sighed exasperatedly. "No, you idiot. Can't you see, the way you've arranged the wires had left lots of areas wide open. If Iruka-Sensei enters, the trap won't trigger because his ankle won't even tough your wire. Besides, the shining of metal wire would give away your trap. Being a Chunin Level Ninja he is, he is bound to have quick reflexes, and hence would step back or dodge the wire." She explained to him dutifully like a nerdy bookworm she was.

Naruto blinked at her in confusion, taking her words in. As soon as her words registered to him, he slumped and muttered in a sad voice "So it was all for a nothing? Damn."

Sakura sweat dropped at how he easily gets depressed, it actually reminded her Inner. Strange, isn't it?

"Ne, Ne, don't be so depressed. If you use camouflaged wire along, then I'm sure Iruka-Sensei will definitely fall for your trap. You have to arrange the camouflaged wire some distance from the metal wire," She then narrowed her eyes at the trap arranged around the doorway, studying it with her keen green eyes "Say, about three inches from the metal wire?"

"Are you sure that'll work?" the blonde boy asked in a dubious tone.

"Definitely!" Sakura said as she turned around and picked p her bucket of water and scrub. "Well, I've gotta go. See you around, Blondie!" she said as she walked towards the door, but then realized that it's rigged with traps. _So Window it is then!_ She took a one-eighty degree turn and walked towards the window.

Naruto watched the pink haired girl's back as she walked away from him. Something was different about this girl. But what? What was different about this girl?

And then suddenly the answer hit him. It's her eyes. Her emerald green eyes were warm and filled with so many emotions, it's unlike he has ever seen. She didn't look at him like everyone does –with cold hatred, instead she looked at him with warmth, as –dare he say it- an equal.

This girl is the first person to treat him like a normal person – _Tch, the old man Hokage doesn't count! He's so old and he rarely visits him!_

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard her slide open the window, and he soon realised that he didn't even know her name!

"W-Wait!" he called out to her and she paused, her one leg over the window sill, while her whole body was leaning against the window. "What is your name?" He asked to her frantically. How will I find you again if I don't even know your name?

The pink haired girl tilted her head towards him and gave him a warm small, and Naruto was sure his heart would jump out of the ribs, by the way it was thudding against it, and then the girl said. My name is Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, Believe it!" He gave her a foxy grin as he introduced himself.

She waved at him and said "Ja ne, Naruto." And then stepped out from the window. She slid close the window's glass, but not before saying, "Take care, **Namikaze!"**

Saying this, she walked away.

Naruto waved his hand back like crazy, and watched her till she disappeared from his view. Only after she vanished from his sight did he remember her last words to him.

"Wait, what did she just call me?" He asked out loud to no one in particular.

* * *

Sakura once considered herself to be average in taijutsu. But after being injured brutely after a spar with Ino- _pig_ no less, all her hopes have shattered.

"Is that all you can do, Forehead?" Ino sneered at her as she gave her a smug look, while Sakura cold do nothing but just grunt.

_Oh kami, it hurts so much!_ By the time she reaches home, she knew she's going to have bruises all over her body.

"Winner of this spar, Ino Yamanaka!" Iruka-Sensei called out, while Ino cheered for her victory. Sakura gritted her teeth in anger as she somehow sat up and dragged herself away from the crowd, knowing how the eyes of a certain blonde boy was following her every move. However, she didn't ave time to think about boys when her mind was on how Ino-pig has beaten her so easily in a spar!

"Sasuke! Did you see that?" Ino squealed in her high pitched voice and turned towards Sasuke, who just ignored everything and everyone around him.

She didn't know she was this weak that even Ino-pig could beat her like that. If this keeps going on, then she would not be able to beat Ino-pig and show Sasuke that she's not that weak little girl anymore. Oh what she'd do to get a chance to beat Ino-pig and show that good for nothing Sasuke that she is much more powerful than he thinks she is.

It was pathetic really, how she got beaten so easily. _If only she was more powerful…._

**'Time to train like hell, Outer.'** Her Inner said to her, and she whole-heartedly agreed to him.

* * *

Sayuri Haruno blinked her jade green eyes at her granddaughter. "What did you just say?"

Sakura shuffled her legs uneasily and muttered a little loudly, "Um, would you mind training me in Ninja Arts, Grandma Sayuri?"

Sayuri Haruno had a maniacal grin in her eyes, that made a shiver of terror run down her spine. **'I wonder if it was a good idea to ask her to train us.'** Inner wondered.

It's not she had any choice, anyways. Her father, Kizashi Haruno, was a merchant; while her mother Mebuki may've been once a well-known Jonin, but now she has retired and she had a good reason too – _apparently, during childbirth there were some complications and that had been an end for Mebuki's Ninja career_.

So the only option left for Sakura was to ask Granny Sayuri.

Sayuri stood up and ruffled her granddaughter's hair and said "I thought you'd never ask, my dear!" and then started cackling madly.

_'Why do I have a feeling it's going to be hell for me?'_ Sakura thought, but Inner did not reply.

He was busy cowering in a corner of her mind, in a place where Grandma Sayuri's cackles won't reach him.

* * *

"Run ten laps around Konoha."

"Are you kidding me? You do know that Konoha is pretty big, right Grandma? I won't be able to complete even one!"

***Glares*** "You want to become strong, right Sakura? Then do as I say!"

"…."

**'Slave-driver.'**

_'That, you're right about, Inner.'_

"You said something?"

"No Ma'am!" ***shakes head vigorously***

"So what're you waiting for then! Start running already!"

"Yes Grandma!" ***salutes and starts running***

* * *

Sakura falls head-first on the ground.

***sweat drops*** "I know they're a little bit heavy, but it shouldn't have made you stumble like that."

"'A little bit heavy'? Are you kidding me? These weights feel like thousand times the weight I'd feel when you are sitting over my back."

***narrows eyes*** "Are you calling me fat, child?"

"NO!"

***glares fiercely*** "Run fifty laps around Konoha wearing these weights! NOW!"

***cries anime style*** "Oh kami, why me?"

* * *

"Again!"

"But I'm tired! I can't do it anymore!"

"You've only done forty four push-ups until now. Fifty six are still remaining. And after that you have to do two hundred sit-ups, and then twenty laps around Konoha and then…."

"what kind of training is this anyways? To make me experience hell or something?"

"It's to increase your stamina. Goodness, child, your stamina is even worse than a three year old'!"

**'That's all because of that dieting stuff you were so obsessed with, Outer.'**

' _Shut up, Inner!'_

"Why did you stop? I didn't tell you to stop, did I? Continue the push-ups, or I swear you won't get any dinner tonight."

"WHAT?! NO FAIR GRANNY!"

* * *

"You're doing it wrong, Sakura! Your stance is horribly wrong! Do it again!"

"What's the difference, anyways? It looks pretty well to me."

"No, if you keep your hands like that, you'll miss your target by an inch. You should move your hands like this." *demonstrates to her*

***mimics in a high pitched voice*** _"You should move your hands like this."_

***glares angrily*** "you wanna say something?"

"NO!"

* * *

**BOOM!**

***deadpans*** "You're worse in Sealing Arts then I expected you to be."

***dryly*** "Thanks Granny."

"God-dammit girl! It has been a week already! Can't you just make a simple seal without it exploding into your face!"

"I'm trying, alright!"

"Then try harder!"

* * *

"Hm, Your chakra control is pretty good, Sakura. You aced through the chakra-control exercises."

**'Why do I have a feeling that a 'but' is coming?'**

"But it may need to be perfected."

**'Ah, there it is. Told ya, Outer.'**

"Take these."

***blinks in confusion*** "Bucket of water? What'll I do with it?"

***smirks** * put this bucket of water on head and run a lap around the training ground, And don't let even a single drop fall down by calming the ripples in the water with your chakra."

"Er….. Okay Granny Sayuri."

_Few minutes later….._

***SLAM!***

"DAMN IT! USING ME AS A TARGET PRACTICE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THE PART OF THE PLAN, GRANNY!"

***says in a sing-song voice*** "Oops, my be I forgot to tell you, my dear little Sakura!"

"I HATE YOU, GRANNY!"

* * *

"Didn't you feel or hear anything? No paranoia? No rustling of leaves? No feeling of being watched."

"Er, no. Why? Should I've felt those things?"

***hums contemplatively*** "Well, at least you're good at breaking through a Genjutsu."

"Eh, you mean that flickering of foreign chakra around me was Genjutsu?"

***blinks*** "So you noticed it?"

"Er… kinda?"

"What kind of answer is that?"

_'Should I tell her it has been you who broke through that genjutsu, Inner?'_

**'nah. Whether you do it or I do, it's the same thing, Outer.'**

_'Yeah, you're right. Thanks for breaking the Genjutsu for me, Inner.'_

**'No problem-Oi, watch out!'**

**SLAM!**

"Don't get distracted! Did you forget we were in the middle of dodging practice?"

"You were the one who was using genjutsu in the middle of Weapon training, Granny!"

"This is to increase your awareness, Sakura! A good Ninja is always aware of his surroundings!"

* * *

"Wow Granny! What is this green glow in your hands?"

"Like it, Sakura? This is called Mystic Palm 's one of the Medical Ninjutsus."

"Oh right, I forgot. You're a medic Ninja, aren't you Granny."

"Yup, and one of the best. Did you know that I was the one who taught medical Ninjutsus to Tsunade of the Sannin, along with the Third Hokage's late wife Biwako?"

***mutters*** "Yeah, yeah. And pigs can fly."

"Why you, brat!" **SLAM!**

"Ow! That hurts! What was that for?"

"For opening your damn mouth! Now pay attention! I'm going to teach you Medical Ninjutsu."

"Really?"

***cheers*** "Yay! Awesome!"

* * *

Sakura panted as she reached the clearing where she usually comes to train – _or maybe hide from Grandma Sayuri when she is on a rampage._ The clearing was in the forest behind the Ninja Academy, and was near the Uchiha Compound, but far enough that no prying Uchiha would come to disturb her. She had found it accidentally one day while running laps around Konoha, and since then this had become her sort-of personal training ground.

She practiced her katas as her mind wandered for a while. Her Taijutsu is getting better day by day, all thanks to Granny Sayuri. Her stamina and chakra levels are also increasing, and so is her reaction time. Well, she still has troubles with weapons, and apparently her chakra levels aren't that much up to level, hence Ninjutsu was out of question for now, at least. Though she'd still pester Granny to teach her at least one Ninjutsu. Even though Sakura can't cast a Genjutsu for the life of her, she can break them off pretty quick – _all thanks to Inner_. Since her chakra control is the best, Granny Sayuri has started to teach her some Medical Ninjutsus – _being a medical Ninja and all_ \- and Sakura is proud to say that she is quite good in it. Though she isn't sure if she can do it at the time of need, since that one time Granny Sayuri took her to hospital to test her Medical Ninjutsu credibility on some patients, only for Sakura to faint at the sight of blood.

_'Granny just had to choose a patient who was bleeding so heavily. Damn that old hag.'_

**'Hahahahahaha! But you have to admit though, it had been funny to watch you faint over sight of blood. Some medical Ninja you are.'**

_'Shut up Inner.'_

She blocked Inner's voice as he laughed at her misfortune and finished her katas. After that she started training Weaponry as she pulled out some Kunai and Shuriken from her pouch and threw them at her targets. Six out of ten hit the target.

Well, nobody's perfect. She'd just have to practice her aim and perfect it before Granny Sayuri takes one of those surprise tests of hers, or Sakura won't live to see another day. Inner rambled on and on about one thing or other as she did her target practice.

Suddenly, inner went deathly quiet and then muttered to her. ' **We're being watched.'**

_'where?'_

**'At ten'o clock.'**

She threw a shuriken at the designated point in some bushes, and a yell and some shuffling was heard. "Who's there? Come out, now!"

There was some rustling of leaves and a black haired teenager stumbled out of the bushes. He had short black hair, onyx eyes and pale skin, much like Sasuke. _An Uchiha, then?_ He was wearing the Konoha headband over his head. She eyed his Jonin uniform and the small cut on his shoulder sleeves which must've been made by her shuriken.

**'Your aim has gotten pretty good, Outer.** ' Inner complimented her.

_'I was aiming for his head.'_ She answered, annoyed.

**'In that case, I must say your aim is horrible.'**

_'Thanks Inner.'_ She deadpanned.

**'You're welcome, Outer!'** He answered her back cheerfully. **'Now answer the moron back, he's been waving his hand before your eyes like an idiot.'**

She snapped out of her trance, realizing that indeed, the Uchiha was waving his hand before her eyes. "WHAT?" She snapped at him.

The Uchiha jumped, startled at her. "I asked you something, but you just seemed to zone out."

"Well now I'm back to Earth." She deadpanned. "So,mind telling me why were you spying on me, Uchiha?"

"I was just heading back to the Uchiha Compound when I heard some noises from around this part of the forest and decided to check it out."

"Liar." She narrowed her eyes and accused him bluntly. "This clearing is way far than the main road that lead to Uchiha Compound, so there is no way you could've heard me training, unless you were somewhat near to this clearing. So, mind telling me why you were spying on me?"

The Uchiha stared at her for a while, that made her shuffle nerously, and then burst out laughing. "Oh you're good, chibi-chan!"

"Oi!" She yelled in irritation. "Who are you calling a chibi?"

He gave her an amused look and then ruffled her pink hair and cooed "Aw, you look so cute when you're angry, chibi-chan."

"Stop calling me that!" She yelled, annoyed at him.

He just laughed at her antics. She slapped his hand away and turned away from him and said "If you're just going to annoy me, then get out of here Uchiha. Can't you see that I'm training here?" she then pulled out some kunai from her pack and threw them at various targets set around the clearing. Four out of the six kunai's hit the target. _That's better than the last time._

He eyes her throws and said "You're good, though not that good. You still can't shoot at your blind spots. And if you handle your kunais like that, you're bound to miss the two of the six targets.

"Why don't you do it, then?" She asked, annoyed.

"With pleasure." He said as he pulled out six shuriken and threw them at the targets, every single one of them hit the centre. Sakura click her mouth shut, and glared at him.

Why can he do it while she can't? _That's so not fair._

The Uchiha watched her in amusement as she just glared at him. _She is so cute!_ Just like his little cousin Sasuke, may be much cuter. With her pink hair and green eyes, she looked like a little porcelain exotic doll. _So cute!_

"Well, I can teach you weaponry, if you tell me one thing."

"What?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes at him and looked at him in suspicion.

"Tell me who taught you those katas." He asked in a serious tone.

That threw her off guard. Of all the things she had expected, this was _not_ it. "What?"

' **He's weird.'**

_'He somewhat reminds me of you, you know.'_

**'Hey! I'm not like this idiot!'**

_'…..I beg to differ.'_

"I'm saying," the Uchiha's voice broke her out of her trance. "Tell me who taught you those katas."

"Er," She scratched the back of her head. What's the big deal about this? It were just some katas, nothing much. "My Grandma taught it to me. Why? What's so big deal about it?" She finally admitted. What harm would it cause, anyways? It's not like they have a copy-right on it anyways.

Turns out, they do have a copyright on it.

**'Damn.'**

"Chibi-chan, the katas you just perform are the Uchiha katas. They're drilled into our clan's kids, and are very different from the Academy katas. Sure you've noticed it up to now, right?" The Uchiha answered her seriously.

Sure she did, but she didn't think much over it. May be she should've questioned Granny Sayuri when she was drilling these katas into her head.

"EH?" She exclaimed. "I didn't know that! I swear."

"I can see that." He said exasperatedly. "But this changes nothing. Like gentle fist style is solely taught to Hyuugas and no one else outside their clan, similarly, Only Uchiha clan kids are allowed to study these katas. It's an offense to copy a clan's techniques, and even teaching them to others and it's punishable by death."

Sakura's eyes bugged out of her socket. **"WHAT?!"**

"Any non-Uchiha person would be punished for copying the family fighting style, Unless…." He tapped his chin and pondered over something. After a while he looked over and Sakura and asked "What's your Grandma's name?"

"Huh?" She blinked at him in confusion.

"Hard of hearing?"

She scowled at him and answered "It's Sayuri. Sayuri Haruno."

Realization dawned on him and he said "Of course it is." He exclaimed. "Of all the people, it just had to be the bastard-daughter of great-great-great grandpa."

Sakura, being the cute seven year old she is, tilted her head innocently and asked "The what? What's a bastard?"

All the colour drained out of his face, and the Uchiha chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head "Eh, don't tell anyone that I said it in front of you, alright?"

Sakura sighed dramatically and said "oh I dunno, I feel like eating three sticks of dango today."

His eyes twitched and he muttered under his breath "Brat."

"What did you say?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

He held his hands in a dismissive way and said "Nothing, nothing, I'll buy you three dango sticks. Happy now?"

"YAY!" she cheered, and he sighed in relief.

"So," she asked the Uchiha boy "What is this about Granny Sayuri being the bas-whatever of whatever? And what does this bas-whatever mean anyways?"

"It means illegitimate. Didn't you know that your Granny is an illegitimate Uchiha child?" the Uchiha boy told her.

"She is?" She asked.

The Uchiha nodded. "Yeah, in fact she was half-sister of my Grandpa Kagami Uchiha. However, since she was an illegitimate Uchiha child, the Uchiha clan head at that time kicked her out of her clan."

"That's horrible!" Sakura cried out in horror. "Uchihas are so mean!"

"hey!" the boy yelled, offended, "For your kind info, I'm an Uchiha too!"

"You're the most _un-Uchiha_ Uchiha I've ever seen!" She pointed at him.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He asked as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"What do you think?"

He rolled his eyes and said "So anyways, as I was saying, your grandmother is an half-Uchiha. And since your father couldn't unlock the sharingan, The Uchiha elders just thought that the Uchiha genes have been repressed in her, and hence won't show up in near future. That makes you a part Uchiha too."

Sakura tapped her chin and said "Hey, didn't you say that my Granny Sayuri was the half-sister of your Grandpa? Doesn't that makes you my brother of sorts?"

He blinked at her and then snapped his fingers. "You're right! Why didn't I think of that?! That means you're my sister! That's so cool!" He cheered and then hugged Sakura out of blue, choking her in his strong hold "Take that, Itachi! My sister is much, _much_ cuter than your brother!"

Sakura's face started turning blue in the Uchiha boy's hold as she muttered "C-Can't B-B-B-Breath!"

"Oh sorry!" He apologized and released her from his hug, and she took in deep breaths and glared at him, while he just gave her a sheepish grin.

She huffed and said "What's your name, anyways?"

"Oh right, we didn't introduce ourselves." He laughed sheepishly, making her sweat drop. He then held out his hand and said "I am Shisui Uchiha. Nice to meet you, Chibi-chan!"

"For your kind info, my name is Sakura Haruno, not chibi-chan." She deadpanned as she shook his head.

He threw his head back and laughed out loud.

She scooted away from him and muttered "He's so weird."

**'Look who's talking. The pot's calling the kettle black!'**

_'What do you mean? I am NOT weird.'_

**'Says the girl who hears a voice in her head.'**

_'…I hate you.'_

**'Love you too, dear Sakura.'**

A screech of a hawk started them. They both looked up and saw a hawk flying over their heads. A sad smile appeared on Shisui's lips as he turned to Sakura and said "Looks like the Hokage has summoned me for some mission. I have to go."

Here was a sad look in his eyes that troubled her. It was like he didn't want to go. As if, if he'll go, he'll have to do something terrible.

"Do you really have to go?" She asked in a small voice as she held his hand in hers. Shisui may be annoying, but he was really something. He was like an elder brother she always wanted, but never had. And what younger sibling would want to be separated from their older sibling?

"I have to." He said as his eyes softened when he looked at her. _Damn,_ if she keeps looking at him with those wide emerald eyes, he doesn't think he'd be able to report to the Hokage in time. He knelt down in front of her and said "As a Ninja, it is my duty to do everything I can to protect the village."

"But it doesn't mean you have to like what you do." She pointed out to him, noticing the darkness lurking deep beneath his sunny façade.

"No, it doesn't." He admitted to her, taken aback by how much she can see through him.

_Impressive._

"Can't you refuse, then? If you don't like to do something, then don't do it!" She asked desperately. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to part with him. It was like a _déjà vu_. Something bad will happen in future and she knew it. _But what?_ That, she couldn't tell.

"it's not as easy as it seems. Sometimes you have to do things that you don't like, but they're still important for keeping everyone safe. Sometimes we have to think about others before ourselves." Shisui answered her.

"So there's no way to change things? No way to not make people do things that they don't want to?" She asked as Shisui stood up.

"Well there is." He smiled at her and said "We're underlings. We have to follow orders that're given to us. But If you manage get on a high position, like, say that of a Hokage, then you may be able to change a lot of things that you don't like." He then ruffled her soft, pink hair and said "Gotta go, Chibi-chan. See you around."

Saying this, he disappeared, but not like Sakura noticed it anyways. She was too deep in her thoughts to notice anything.

She looked up at the sky, with a serene look on her face as thoughts whirled around her mind. _A Hokage, huh?_

A warm smile blossomed on her lips and said "Alright, Brother Shisui, I promise I'll become Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village! Then you, or anyone else, won't have to do things they don't want!"

Something snapped inside her, and her emerald green eyes turned hard as determination shone through them.

**"I'll be Hokage, no matter what! And that's the Promise of a Lifetime! Just keep watching over me, Brother Shisui!"**


	4. The Will Of Fire.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura makes new friends, as well as frenemies..... and Shisui says Goodbye..... Forever.......

"-and you won't believe how cute she is, Itachi! She looks like an exotic porcelain doll- with her pink hair and all!-"

"Shisui."

"-and her green eyes shine so passionately like burning emeralds! I'm telling you Itachi, my cute little sister is the embodiment of the Will of Fire!-"

"Shisui."

"-and did I tell you how pretty she is? She is even cuter than Sasuke! And-"

_"Shisui!"_

"WHAT?!"

" _Shut up or I'll strangle you to death."_

***grins sheepishly*** "Oops, _hehehehehe_!"

***mutters*** "Besides, no one can be cuter than my little brother Sasuke."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Hard of hearing?"

"YOU WANT A FIGHT? OH, YOU'RE SO ON, ITACHI UCHIHA!"

* * *

_SLAM!_

"Ow! ow! ow! ow! ow! ow! ow! ow! OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Sakura wailed, clutching her right hand as she sat in the middle of a training ground, in the center of a huge crater. Her hand throbbed painfully and she whimpered at the pain.

"Sakura!" her Grandma cried out frantically as she appeared next to her, and placed a green glowing palm over her right hand as she muttered angrily " _Goddammit_ girl, can't you do a single thing right? I told you not to push too much chakra through your hand! Now see what you've done! You fractured your hand!"

Sakura sniffled and sobbed "B-But how was I s-supposed to know how much chakra to use? If I use less amount, nothing happens, if I use even slightly more than needed, it works, but also harms me as well! How do I know the right amount of chakra to use!" she then wailed loudly "IF I KEEP MESSING IT UP HOW CAN I BECOME LIKE LADY TSUNADE?" **'And Rin.'**

"Konoha was not built in a day, Sakura!" Sayuri sighed in exasperation as she gazed at her granddaughter fondly. "It'll take time time to perfect this technique. It had taken years even to Tsunade to use the right amount of chakra to enhance her destructive Taijutsu style."

"But I don't have years! I have to get strong as soon as I can and become HOKAGE!" Sakura said with a fierce look in her eyes.

Sayuri was taken aback by the determination shining through her granddaughter's eyes. Her words were so similar to that other boy's words, whom she had always thought of like a grandson.

_"I promise Granny, I will get stronger soon enough and then no one can stop me from becoming Hokage!"_

She smiled softly at her and flicked her nose and said "Well, you still have time for that. I don't think Hiruzen would give up his position soon enough" – _Especially not when even a decade haven't passed since the Nine Tails attack and the Fourth's death_ \- "But I'm sure you will snatch away his position from him some day."

Sakura beamed at her Grandma, ignoring the throbbing pain in her hand for once.

"But for that, you'll have to master this destructive Taijutsu style of Tsunade's and get strong." She said in amusement.

Sakura groaned, making Sayuri laugh at the young girl's misery. She finished healing her and patted her back and said "Chill out, Sakura! It'll take quite some time to master that technique. After all, not everyone can have the Hyuuga's special eyes that can tell how much chakra can be needed for a certain technique."

Sakura froze up at her comment as an idea appeared in her mind. Why didn't she thought of it before? She can just go to a Hyuuga and ask for their help!

But why would they help her? If she remembered correctly, then didn't Granny Sayuri once said that Uchihas and Hyuugas have a stick stuck up in their asses _\- whatever that means_? So, it's highly unlikely that they're going to help.

But then again, look at Shisui, her brother/cousin - _whatever_. He is the most un-Uchiha like Uchiha she had ever seen in her life. Otherwise, every other Uchiha she knew were stuck-ups. Even Sasuke was a jerk, and he was what- _eight?_

So there must be at least one Hyuuga who isn't stuck-up like most of his/her clan. _Right?_ But where will she find him/her? It's not like she knew many Hyuugas – _not even one._

**'Hey, that reminds me Outer, Didn't there a Hyuuga girl in our class? What was her name again –Hina- something, right?'**

_'Who?'_

**'Don't you remember her? That shy girl who always stutters while speaking and is always stalking that blonde guy –what was his name again? Ah, I remember it now! Naruto!'**

_'Oh, you mean Hinata- that girl with dark blue hair and pale eyes?'_

**'Yeah, that girl. Why don't we just ask for her help?'**

_'What if she turns out to be stuck-up like the rest of her clan, inner?'_

**'I highly doubt it.'**

Sayuri, oblivious to her Granddaughter's mental conversations, wrapped bandages around her granddaughter's arm and said "I may have healed your broken bones, but your arm is still gonna be sore for some while, okay?"

She frowned when her granddaughter didn't answer, and just stood there with a glazed look in her eyes. A twitch appeared over her eyebrow and she bonked Sakura's head.

"OW! What was that for, you old hag?!"

"Pay attention, you brat!"

* * *

"Um, Hinata?"

***squeaks*** "S-S-Sakura? H-Hello."

"Er, Hi. Um, I was wondering, if you'd help me in a little project of mine?"

"M-Me?"

"Yes, I need your help. You see, I am working on a technique, which enhances the destructive power of a punch or a kick when a certain amount of chakra is applied. But I either end up using too much chakra or too little chakra. I can't decide the fix amount of chakra to use. Will you please help me out with your special eyes?"

***turns red and stutters*** "I-I-"

***thinks she's going to lash out, and apologizes profusely*** "Of course you don't have to if you don't want to. It's just-I really need to learn this technique. I want to be stronger, so that one day I can be Hokage. I'd be glad if you help me out, and in return I am even willing to help you out in your own techniques. But if you don't want to, then don't, I wouldn't want to force you or anything-"

"No!" ***shouts out suddenly and shakes head furiously*** "I-It's not like that!"

"…It's not?"

"No, I-I just" ***bit her lower lip and sighs*** "I-I'd l-love to help y-you.

***beams*** "Thank you so much, Hinata!"

(And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Hinata Hyuuga –the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan- and our one and only Sakura Haruno.)

* * *

"Shisui, why are we here?" Itachi asked as he dodged Shisui's kick, and spun out of the way, his sharingan blazing red.

Shisui chuckled and said "Why, you ask? For training, of course!" He then did some hand signs, and spat out a big fireball at him, which he blocked with an Earth Wall.

"I don't believe you at all." Itachi deadpanned as he jumped when when Shisui body flickered behind him. Shisui's loud laughter echoed around their personal training Area, which was a cliff just above the Naka River. This was the place where Shisui usually trained, and sometimes Itachi tagged along with him, however he had a feeling that today Shisui didn't bring him here just for training. Besides they had better things to do, like plan about how to thwart the Uchiha Clan's plans of Coup d'état. But here they were, having a friendly spar, when they should've been with the Council, discussing their next step.

Shisui jumped up next to Itachi, and was about to use another fire Jutsu when a shrill voice startled them.

"Brother Shisui!"

Both the ANBU Ninjas turned and saw a pink haired girl running towards them with a big smile on her face. She looked around Sasuke's age. With her bright emerald eyes and fair skin, she really looked like a porcelain doll. Itachi had to admit, she was cute. Shisui's meaningless rants had been all true after all, even though it had annoyed the hell out of him.

The pink haired barreled into Shisui, making him stumble back. Shisui laughed as he hugged her back. His eyes sparkled with happiness, and Itachi had to admit, that he'd never seen Shisui this happy. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he watched them both.

"Brother Shisui! You're back from your mission!" The pink haired girl squealed as she looked up in her brother/cousin's eyes. She had missed him. He had been gone on a long term mission for three months, and he had returned only now. He was even wearing his ANBU uniform, which was dirty, meaning he had just returned from his mission. "I missed you!" She said as she hugged him again.

"Aw! I missed you too, _chibi-chan_!" Shisui said as he ruffled her soft, pink hair.

"Stop calling me that!" Sakura said with a scowl, which made Shisui laugh even loudly. She then smiled at him and asked " _Ne, ne,_ Brother, you promised to show me an awesome Jutsu!"

"I did?" Shisui asked sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Shisui!" She growled in anger, making him hold up his hands dismissively, though the amusement in his eyes was still clear.

"Alright, alright, but first I'd like you to meet someone." Shisui said with a smile.

"Who?" Sakura asked as she tilted her head cutely, and Shisui _almost_ squealed at her cuteness. Keyword- _almost._

Shisui gestured towards the other boy standing in the clearing and said " _Chibi-chan_ , meet my best friend, Itachi Uchiha." Then he turned to Itachi and gestured to Sakura and said "Itachi, this is my cute little sister, Sakura."

Sakura turned towards the other boy and narrowed her eyes. Itachi was thirteen years old, and had long black hair tied in a loose pony tail. He was a handsome boy with a stern face, but his eyes did not show any emotion. Sakura couldn't help but wonder why this boy looked so much like Sasuke.

She shook her head and shrugged it off. Almost all Uchihas look the same – _what with black hair, pale skin and all._ No wonder this guy looks like Sasuke.

"Hi." Sakura said shyly as she peeked at Itachi from beneath her eyelashes.

Itachi bit his lip to stop himself from squealing like a fangirl. Shisui was damn right- _this girl is so cute!_ "Hello." Itachi said in his cold voice, even though he was anything but cold. He then turned to Shisui and said "You were right. She is cute."

Shisui fist pumped in air and said "See? Told you so."

Sakura sweat dropped at his antics.

**'What a weirdo.'**

_'Like you're the one to talk.'_

"But not as much cute as my brother." Itachi said, and Shisui glared at him.

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not-"

"will you two just stop!" Sakura screeched at them, making them stop. She huffed and then turned to Shisui and asked "You were going to show me an awesome Jutsu, right?!" Her eyes sparkled with wonder and curiosity.

"Yes." Shisui said with a smirk. "I'm going to show you my best Jutsu- _The Body Flicker!_ "

* * *

"Itachi, where are we going?" Sasuke whined as his elder brother Itachi guided them somewhere. After ten minutes or so, they ended up in the Public Park. "Eh? Why are we here, Big Brother? I thought you were going to help me with my shuriken training?"

"Patience, little brother." Itachi said in a cool voice as he leaned against a tree.

"but Itachi-"

"Itachi!" A voice cut Sasuke off. He pouted and turned, only to look in horror as his cousin Shisui walked towards them with a certain pink haired Banshee. These two happened to be the two of his least favorite people.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke scowled as he looked at the pair approaching them, while looking mostly at the pink haired banshee.

The pink haired girl, much to his surprise, scowled at him and said "I should ask you the same thing!"

Sasuke sniffed haughtily as he crossed his arms and said "I'm here to meet my cousin's younger sibling."

Sakura scoffed and said "same. I'm here to meet my brother's friend's little brother."

Shisui and Itachi shared an amused look. Itachi then looked down at Sasuke and said "Sasuke, this is Sakura. Shisui's sister."

At the same time, Shisui pointed his thumb towards Sasuke and said "Sakura, this is Itachi's little brother, Sasuke."

_(Cue a two minute silence.)_

And then both of them yelled in unison-

"YOU ARE SHISUI'S SISTER?!"

"YOU ARE ITACHI'S BROTHER?!"

Inner rolled in laughter inside her mind and gasped out ' **Gah, this is freaking hilarious! Who knew grumpy Sasuke was Itachi's brother! You really have one heck of luck, Outer!'**

_'Shut up Inner.'_

"She is so loud and annoying and have a pink hair -of all colors! I can't believe you are Shisui's sister." Sasuke then paused and said "Wait, I can. she is as weird as Shisui. No doubt she is his sister."

Sakura bristled at his insults. All these years he had ignored her, and now when he was talking to her for the first time, all he has to say are insults?! _What an egoistic jerk!_

**'Put him down some notches, Outer! I'm dying to see his ego pegged down!'**

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and said with a scoff "As if you're the one to talk. Itachi is so cool and polite, but you're the opposite of him- Egoistic, self-centered and hot-tempered."

**'Yeah! You tell him, outer!'**

"What did you say?" Sasuke asked with an angry growl.

"I said, you are egoistic, self-centered and hot-headed!" Sakura said in a furious tone.

Shisui looked at the two of them bantering and said with a sigh "Aw, look at the two of them! They're getting along just fine, aren't they?"

"Shisui, were you hit in your head or something during our last Mission?" Itachi deadpanned as the two children argued hotly.

How is this _'getting along just fine'_? Shisui has truly a loose screw in his head.

* * *

"Naruto! Come back here!" Iruka yelled as he chased after Naruto around the Academy, who grinned as he ran away from him. Iruka scowled as he ran after him, his chunnin vest was splattered with orange paint was quite visible to everyone, as he ran after the naughty child. You can guess why Iruka was furious with our favorite blonde knucklehead.

Naruto grinned as he turned a corner, only to bump into a wall. He stumbled as he fell on his butt.

"Hey! What's the big idea!" The wall cried out.

_Wait what?_

He looked up at the wall, which happened to be not- wall. It was Sakura -that weird pink haired girl whom he met months ago during detention, and who treated him like a friend. And she was pretty, with her pink hair and glimmering green eyes and… _Ahem!_

Oh yeah, and she was in his class, and was very smart and polite, even though she comes late for every class. He had also spent some detentions with her, and each time they'd end up planning pranks together. There were many pranks that they pulled together, in which she was the mastermind who planned everything, and he was the one who executed those plans. They were friends now- _sort of_ \- and he was glad for it. These days, she brings another girl - _with blue hair and pale eyes_ \- along with her in lunch-time, who would always turn red and stutter around him. Thinking she has a fever or something, a few times he had placed his hand on her forehead to check if she had a fever, but then she'd faint, making Sakura laugh. He loved to hear Sakura laugh, but why does it have to be when the blue haired girl – _Hinata_ , faints? And why does she faints anyways? If she is sick or something, why does she even comes to Academy?! _Honestly, Hinata is such a weirdo._

Sakura rubbed her butt as she stood up and scowled at the boy who bumped into her, whom she later realized as Naruto. "Oh hey, it's you, Naruto!" She said as she extended her hand to Naruto to help him up.

"Sakura!" Naruto beamed as he took her hand and stood up with her help. "What are you doing?"

"Running away." Sakura muttered under her breath.

Naruto gave her a puzzled look. "From whom?"

At the very moment, two screams rang out around the Academy.

"SAKURA!"

"NARUTO!"

"Damn!" Both of them said in unison, and ran past each other.

"See you in the evening at the park!" Sakura yelled out to Naruto as she kept running.

"yeah!" Naruto agreed as he ran, though he was curious. Who was after Sakura? What did she do now?

He got his answer when he saw a pink haired Sasuke running past him. He burst out in laughter.

_Sakura sure knows how to get her revenge._

* * *

"So, I heard you've been training your Granddaughter for sometime, is that right, Sayuri?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked as he took a sip from his tea, enjoying it's sweet taste.

Sayuri Haruno who also happens to be our dearest Sakura's grandmother, narrowed her eyes and said in a mocking tone "Don't tell me you sent ANBU to once again spy on me. Have you, Hiruzen?"

"No, no. Not at all, especially after that one time you set their masks on fire for spying on you while you were gardening." He laughed at his friend's question, enjoying their playful banter. It has been so long since the two of them have sat together and just talked carefree. Hiruzen truly missed spending time with her. _If only she hadn't left the Council…_

She pouted and said with a huff "You're such a meanie, Hiruzen!"

He rolled his eyes and said sarcastically "Yeah, yeah, and you're a saint, aren't you?"

"Damn straight I am!" She said with a mock-haughty look, which made Hiruzen burst out on laughter, which made Sayuri's lips twitch upwards in a smile. "So, what made you ask me about my cute little Sakura?" She asked with raised brows,

"Well, she must've something special if you yourself are training her." Hiruzen said with a knowing look as he placed down his cup.

"Special? Oh so you mean the sharingan?" Sayuri laughed at his comment. "No, I don't think she'll acquire the Sharingan. The Uchiha blood in her has been diluted a lot. I never awoken my sharingan, and nor did Kizashi, even the idea of Sakura acquiring the sharingan is laughable."

"Oh, I see." He said, looking a little disappointed.

Sayuri smiled at him, even though all she wanted was to strangle him. She swore Hiruzen is getting influenced by Danzo, much like her former friends Koharu and Homura. Otherwise, why would he even bother with her, after all this time? He hadn't come to visit her after she had resigned from the Council after Fourth Hokage's death, why would he come here now, if not for looking for a scape-goat to sacrifice for the _good_ of the village.

Of course, she knew that she can't keep protecting her granddaughter from everything. One day, her precious Sakura would be a Ninja and go on to life-threatening missions. But she didn't want it to be _so soon._ If Sakura had awakened her sharingan she'd be considered a prodigy and would be graduated immediately, and her former teammate Danzo would watch her granddaughter like a hawk, which she really didn't want to happen. All this would've given her a headache.

And let's not forget about the fact that the Uchiha clan elders would've thrown a hissy fit, and would've fought the legal claims to adopt Sakura In the Uchiha Clan. After all, those bastards are always eager to have prodigies. The more prodigies they have, the more they can influence the village. _Poor Itachi and Shisui….. she wished she could've done something for both of them, since they're much like her grand-children._

_She really was so glad that Sakura haven't awakened her sharingan._

And then, there was the matter of the rising chances of a civil war breaking out in Konoha.

Sayuri wasn't stupid. She had noticed the tension between the Uchiha Clan and the civilians. Many a times, she herself had witnessed how people are harassing the Uchihas –holding them responsible for the nine tails attack about eight years ago. The growing resentment among the Uchihas was quite obvious and expected. After all, she herself had been through shame and resentment when she had been kicked out of Uchiha clan for being a bastard child, as well as for _supposedly_ not having sharingan. Just because she never used her sharingan for combat – _or anything for that matter_ \- doesn't mean she didn't have it.

_Hypocrites._

It had been a difficult task to hide the fact that she had awakened her sharingan. Only her the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, her Sensei Tobirama Senju and her half-brother Kagami Uchiha had known this, and they had taken her secret to the grave.

_And she'd be damned if she let out her closely guarded secret._

And wasn't it such a relief when her son Kizashi didn't awaken his sharingan at all? Who knew that Haruno blood would be so potent as to suppress even a _Kekkei Genkai_? Well, at least this is an assurance that Sakura won't awaken the sharingan, hence the chances of it awakening are very, _very_ low.

_Thank Kami for small favors._

Sayuri smiled at him, and took a sip of her tea. "Sakura is an average girl. She has small chakra reserves, so Ninjutsu is out of question. She can't cast a Genjutsu for the life of her, even though strangely, she is quite good in determining a Genjutsu and breaking out of it –though I can't say about sharingan-induced Genjutsus. She has mediocre skills in Sealing Arts. Her taijutsu is the quite good, as well as her chakra control. That's why I'm trying to instill Tsunade's fighting style into her, but the progress is going _really_ slowly. Heck, just the other day that girl fractured her arm while punching the ground! And not to forget that she fails at the sight of blood. Some medical Ninja she'll be." She said with a huff.

Hiruzen chuckled and said "Sounds like an interesting girl. However, I don't understand, why are you training her so hard. I mean, yeah, I know she's your granddaughter and that's why you want to teach her everything you know. But teaching her Tsunade's destructive Taijutsu style? I don't understand. If I didn't know you better, I'd have thought that you're preparing her for war." He joked.

Her jade eyes glimmered and she gave him a soft smile and said "Hiruzen, I have a feeling she'll surpass us all." She looked out of the window, at the four faces carved on the Hokage Mountain, and said with warmth in her tone. "In this world torn with war and hatred, she'll be a beacon of light. She'll be a Hokage the likes of which this village has never seen, I'm sure of it." She looked back at him, and gave him a stunning smile "She will be the one to bring peace."

For a moment, he was silent. He did not know what to say to her. "Why?" He questioned in a soft tone. "Why do you have so high hopes for her?"

Sayuri closed her eyes, remembering all those little things she had noticed about Sakura that were so similar to _him_. Those orange goggles; that selfless quality to help others; the habit of being late to everything; that determination with which she trains; the charming smile that even melts the hearts of a foe; that strange gleam in her eyes when she speaks of being a Hokage.

Yes, she is so much like _him._

"Because she reminds me of _him_."

"Whom?" Hiruzen asked with a raised brow.

She sighed and said "Obito Uchiha."

* * *

Sayuri Haruno rolls down a huge-ass scroll in front of Sakura.

"Granny, what is this scroll?"

"It is a Summoning Contract."

"A what?"

"A Summoning Contract. It is a contract between a Summon Animal and a human. There are certain conditions placed by the summon animal, and when a human agrees to those conditions, a contract is signed. The contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractors death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After signing the contract, the contractor can do the Summoning Technique, which is a Space-time Ninjutsu."

***blinks in confusion*** "Alright, but why are you showing me a summoning Contract?"

***grins sadistically*** "I want you to sign a partial Contract with Bears."

"WHAT?"

"Are you deaf or something? I told you to sign the contract!"

**'I don't like that sadistic gleam in her eyes. What's she planning?'**

* * *

"The Uchiha are assembling again tonight." Danzo said in a cold tone, sitting in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who practiced his calligraphy in a his resting room next to the Hokage's Office.

"I know about it as well." Hiruzen answered as he placed down his brush and looked up at his friend. "But we cannot interfere with their clan rituals."

"Rituals indeed!" Danzo said with a scoff. "they're going to fan the flames of distrust against us, then use it to unite the clan. They're preparing for a coup d'état."

"And the one to nip it in the bud is…." Hiruzen said calmly, and looked at the door as it opened "Shisui!"

"Shisui Uchiha?" Danzo asked, dumbfounded.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage, explained "Shisui will attend the if Fugaku incites a rebellion-"

Shisui cut him off "I will use my Kotoamatsukami." Shisui said as he knelt down in front of the Hokage, his sharingan eyes blazing red.

Danzo muttered "your Visual Jutsu…"

"He will have no clue that Shisui is controlling his actions. He will believe that his words are his own." The Third Hokage said.

"I'm going to make Fugaku think about co-existence with the village." Shisui said.

"I don't think that controlling only Fugaku will put an end to the Uchiha's dissatisfaction." Danzo argued back.

Hiruzen shook his head and said "No. If the Uchiha will change then we of the Leaf must change too. Let us improve our relations with the Uchiha."

"this is my hope." Shisui said.

"I will assign one ANBU behind the scene." Hiruzen said and then said with a stern look "I'm counting on you, Shisui."

"yes, sir!"

_I won't fail, for the sake of my little sister._

_If the coup happens, she will be in danger, along with my precious people and my village._

_I will not fail!_

* * *

"Sakura, do you know about the Will of Fire?"

"Will of Fire? What's that, Brother Shisui?"

***smiles softly*** "The will to love, believe, cherish and fight to protect the village, that is the Will of Fire."

"….Oh."

"I want to protect it Sakura. I want to protect the village and my precious people. And I will do _anything_ to protect them." ***smiles sadly*** "Even if I have to sacrifice myself for it."

***glances at him with the corner of her eyes*** "….Brother, you're scaring me."

***ruffles her hair*** "No need to be scared, Sakura. I will not let anything harm you, I promise."

***grabs his hand hysterically*** "I don't want your protection. I want you to always stay by my side. I want you to be there when I become Hokage of this Village."

***smiles softly*** "Of course. I will always be there with you." ***taps the left side of her chest where heart is*** "in here."

"Shisui….."

**'Why does it feel like goodbye?'**

_(Because it was a goodbye, but she never realized it…)_

* * *

Sakura beamed as she looked down at the bay bear she had summoned. Her Grandma was a Sadistic woman, she made her make a partial contract with her summon animals –the bears, guilt tripping her by saying that she wanted to pass on her contract to her so as when her time comes, she'll die peacefully, knowing that at least her poor bears won't feel neglected.

_Turns out, it had all been a big fat lie._ It was all a well planned scheme to make her fall into their trap. The reason for her insistence of Sakura signing the contract was that the Bears were bored with nothing to do, hence wanted to have some fun with someone other than Sayuri.

And Kami are these bears annoying – _as well as intimidating as hell!_ \- They appear out of nowhere at very inappropriate moments –like when she is in shower, or while she is changing, or when she is playing hide and seek with her friends or training to hide from Granny Sayuri by suppressing chakra. And seriously, _what the hell!_

Also, it's no big deal when they appear out of nowhere and scare the shit out of her, but if she summon any elderly Bear – _not that she had that much chakra reserves, but eh, accidents happen every once in a while to the best of us_ \- they'd yell at her for interrupting their nap **('Goddamn lazy Bears! Why are you even Granny's summons?! Go to Naras or something!'** Inner grumbled **)** or their free time or something.

She feels like this contract was nothing but a joke against her.

Also, since it is a partial contract, she had to pay much, much more than what she deserves. Turns out, she not only has to keep up with their popping up at most embarrassing moments, but she also has to train three Bear cubs every year.

_Ugh, why her?_

And the only benefit she was getting from this partial contract?

She can summon one Bear for any of her Ninja Battles, but only once a month. Also, this contract can be broken anytime the Bears want.

**'Seriously? Like, what the hell?! Why did we even sign this contract?'**

_'Because Granny Sayuri just loves to torture us.'_

**'Just great.'**

Anyways, the good thing was, she gets to spend time with cute baby bears. _And the Bears cubs were so cute!_

The baby Bear she had held in her hands was a tiny little thing that was the size of her arm, which in itself was small since she herself was an eight year old. The baby Bear has soft, white fur and his eyes were dark blue, like that of a gleaming sapphire. He has leafy, blue patterns tattooed a over his body – _or were they birth marks?_

**'Eh, who cares?'**

Point is, she gets to train this Bear, along with two others for a whole year. She'd have to teach him how to talk, how to fight- _everything._

_And wasn't it so darn cute!_

She wanted Shisui to see her new summons, so she took off towards the Training Area where Shisui usually wanders around. She giggled as she imagined his shocked expression when she'd perform the summoning Jutsu. She just prayed that she doesn't accidentally summon any Elder Bear.

**'Kami knows what a disaster it'll be.'**

It was getting quite darker as she entered the forest. Gathering her courage, she sneaked quietly into the forest. She suppressed her chakra, deciding to surprise Shisui. How many times had he startled her with his damn Body Flicker? She'd pay him back this time with this. At least hiding from Granny Sayuri's rampages benefited her somewhat- she got to learn how to suppress her chakra to hide her presence.

And a damn good thing it was, right?

She applied chakra to her feet to suppress the sounds of her footsteps as she neared the cliff above the Naka River where Shisui usually trains, however, she was surprised to see Itachi also there. She stood at the very edge of the cliff, from where she can hear perfectly clearly as their voices would echo when they talk since they were standing on the edge of the cliff, while her voice won't reach them, thanks to the surrounding trees.

_'I'll just wait till Itachi leaves.'_

**'why not show him as well how awesome we are?'** Her inner said as he fist pumped.

_'No, I want to show my Summoning Jutsu to brother Shisui only. I can show Itachi some other time.'_

**'As you wish, Outer.'**

She hid behind a big tree, masking her chakra as well as casting an E-ranked Jutsu which Iruka Sensei had taught some months ago about how to camouflage something with surroundings. However, casting it over her whole body would take more chakra than casting it over any other thing.

_"Camouflage Jutsu._ " She whispered in a very low tone as she made hand signs to hide from the sharingan of the two Uchiha Geniuses, and applied a bit of chakra over her body, merging with the surroundings.

**'Not like it'll do any good. The sharingan can see through every Jutsu. If they look this way, we're so dead.'**

_'You seem to know quite a lot about sharingan, Inner.'_

She furrowed her brow when he didn't answer back. In fact, there was a deadly silence in her mind. What happened?

"I was going to try to stop the coup d'état with Kotoamatsukami, but Lord Danzo took my right eye."Shisui said in a somber voice, his back towards her and Itachi as he stood on the very edge of the cliff, with Itachi standing some metres away from him behind him. He turned around, and her breath caught in her throat as she saw that is right eye was closed, with blood leaking from it.

She was horrified by the state Shisui was in. Who was Danzo? Why did he do this to her Brother? And what was all this about a coup d'état?

_What's going on?_

**'the hell if I know!'** Inner screeched in anger.

"He doesn't trust me." Shisui admitted. "He intends to protect the village in his own way, no matter what it takes or how it looks." He glanced down sadly and muttered "I suspect he'll come out after my left eye as well. So I want to give it to you before he has a chance."

Sakura trembled in horror, tears slipping down her cheeks as she saw her cousin whom she treated like her _own_ brother gouge out his other eye and held it towards Itachi. She tried her best to not vomit out her dinner.

This….. was not what she expected when she came here. She wanted to back away from this wretched place and run back home and slip into her Mother's arms where she'd be safe from horrors like this, but her feet were transfixed to the spot, and she found that she could not move.

"You're the only person I can count on. _My best friend_." Shisui said, blood leaking from both of his empty eye sockets and he had closed his eyelids. "Please protect this village and the honor of the Uchiha name." He then said in a soft voice "….and Sakura too. Take care of her for me, please."

Sakura bit into her knuckle to stop herself from wailing hysterically. She wanted to cry from all her heart and call out Shisui's name, beg him to tell her what was all this about, and why was he doing this. But Inner had her glued on this spot. It was like, he knew that she shouldn't interfere with what was going on.

She wanted it to stop, but Inner was suppressing her body control.

Itachi closed his eyes and a crow flew towards them and landed over Shisui's extended hand. It then picked up the eye-ball from Shisui's hands and then disappeared in a flurry of feathers.

"I accept it. What will you do now?" Itachi said, his own eyes whirling red with sharingan. His voice sounded detached.

"If I die, several circumstances will change. I've left behind a note already…." Shisui said as he stepped backwards towards the very edge of the cliff.

"Wait, Shisui!" Itachi yelled as he ran towards Shisui, who stopped him by saying-

"Don't stop me, Itachi!"

Itachi stopped at his friend's words. Shisui smiled warmly as he stepped off the cliff, accepting his death.

"SHISUI!"

**_NO!_ **

Both Sakura and her inner cried out inside her mind, but her body was frozen, hence it didn't even react, besides the trembling, and the tears that didn't seem to stop flowing.

Itachi yelled out in despair, reaching out to catch his friend from falling to his death, but his hand just grazed his, and soon Shisui was falling down from the cliff, straight into the Naka River flowing at the end of the rift between the two cliffs.

_"That means you're my sister! That's so cool!"_

_"I am Shisui Uchiha. Nice to meet you, Chibi-chan!"_

_"As a Ninja, it is my duty to do everything I can to protect the village."_

_"Sometimes you have to do things that you don't like, but they're still important for keeping everyone safe. Sometimes we have to think about others before ourselves."_

_"I want to protect it Sakura. I want to protect the village and my precious people. And I will do anything to protect them, Even if I have to sacrifice myself for it."_

_"No need to be scared, Sakura. I will not let anything harm you, I promise."_

_"I will always be there with you, in here."_

**_'Brother Shisui…'_ **

Blood leaked out from the eyes as the black swirling dots of the sharingan turned into wheel like shape of the next stage of the Sharingan.

That night, not one, but two people awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.


	5. A promise Of A Lifetime!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura finds out a surprising truth, and somehow gets tangled up in the mess that is Uchiha Massacre....

* * *

To be honest, Naruto was worried for his best friend. She had been looking pale, with bags under her eyes and her green eyes losing that warm spark that he loved about her. Also, these days she rarely played any prank on anyone, and yesterday she even refused to have ramen! _Oh the horror!_ No one refuses Ramen like that, _especially Sakura_ , because even _she_ agrees that Ramen is the food of Gods.

_So what had happened?_

He did not know. But he did know one thing- that he was not the only one who had noticed her changed behavior. That weird girl who always faints around him – _what's her name again? Oh yeah, Hinata_ \- she had also noticed her strange behavior. And then there was Iruka Sensei, and Old man Hokage, and even her own Grandmother who were worried about her. Heck, even that bastard Sasuke asked about Sakura's well-being that one time, _and that's saying something because Kami knows that bastard has the emotional capability of a teaspoon._

So yeah, Naruto believes he is right to worry about his friend's health.

"Sakura?" He asked one day, stopping the pink haired girl as soon as the last bell. He flinched when she looked at him with her emotionless green eyes. "Er, Are you okay? I mean you seem distant lately."

Hinata quickly picked up her bag and appeared next to him, waiting anxiously for Sakura's reply.

"I'm fine." The pink haired girl replied coolly, her voice devoid of any emotion, as she grabbed her bag and walked past them.

"A-Are you sure? Y-you've b-been acting s-s-strange since S-Shisui's d-death. " Hinata squeaked out, poking her fingers nervously while looking at her friend from the corner of her eyes.

"Yes," She replied, without turning towards them, though her next words had them wincing "Though I'd like it very much if you mind your own business."

Saying this, she stormed out of the class, not noticing the hurt looks passed between them.

* * *

She sat alone under a tree Outside the Ninja Academy, glancing down at a book blankly, with her mind not even grasping a word of what she read. The sound of footsteps neared her, and she glanced up and saw Sasuke looking down at her figure, looking hesitant about something. She looked back down at her book, ignoring his existence entirely. _She had nothing to say to him._

He placed his hands in his pocket and looked at her intensely. The weight of his stare did not even faze her. He sighed and said in a quiet, but strong tone "You will be fine."

She glanced up at him, and saw him smile at her for the first time. He placed his hand over her shoulder and squeezed it. "I know you will." He gave her a closed eye smile as she stared at him blankly, and then he walked away from her, and soon she heard a happy shout of "Itachi! You came!" as Sasuke hugged his brother.

Sakura stared at the two brothers as they talked to each other, ignoring the pang in her heart. Itachi looked tired, and he was even more tensed for some reason, but the happy glint in his eyes at the sight of his precious little brother was unmistakable.

As Sasuke chatted with Itachi at the speed of a mile per hour, Itachi glanced at Sakura for a moment and she stared back. Itachi looked like he wanted to come and talk to her. Considering how she had brushed him off during Shisui's funeral that was to be expected to happen sooner or later. Well, it's not like she had treated him like that exceptionally. She had brushed off almost everyone during the funeral, and after that. And it doesn't look like she'll start warming up to others sometimes soon.

_"Please protect this village and the honor of the Uchiha name …. and Sakura too. Take care of her for me, please."_

She slammed her book shut and walked away from there quickly. She wanted nothing to do with her dead brother's best friend, who let everyone believe that her brother had committed Suicide, when the truth is far from this lie he had concocted.

And for what? To protect the person who stole Shisui's eye?

_Unforgivable._

**_'UNFORGIVABLE!'_ **

* * *

_"You're the only person I can count on. My best friend." Shisui said, blood leaking from both of his empty eye sockets and he had closed his eyelids. "Please protect this village and the honor of the Uchiha name." He then said in a soft voice "….and Sakura too. Take care of her for me, please."_

**'Sakura…'**

_"I accept it. What will you do now?" Itachi said, his own eyes whirling red with sharingan. His voice sounded detached._

_"If I die, several circumstances will change. I've left behind a note already…." Shisui said as he stepped backwards towards the very edge of the cliff._

**'Sakura!'**

_"Wait, Shisui!" Itachi yelled as he ran towards Shisui, who stopped him by saying-_

_"Don't stop me, Itachi!"_

_Itachi stopped at his friend's words. Shisui smiled warmly as he stepped off the cliff, accepting his death._

_"SHISUI!"_

**'SAKURA!'**

She jolted up, with her emerald green eyes open, and found herself in her room, wearing pajamas. She took deep breaths and placed her hands over her chest to calm her racing heart. Something warm slid down her cheeks and onto her dress. She placed one of her hands over her cheeks, and was surprised to find that they were wet from tears.

She got out of her bed and stumbled towards the bathroom, trying her best to not make much noise so as to wake up her parents and Granny. She locked the bathroom door from inside. She took a deep breath as she walked towards the sink and glanced up at the mirror attached to the wall. Her green eyes looked dead, her skin was deathly pale and there were dark bags under her eyes. Not only that, but she could see her pajamas which normally fitted her nicely were now a bit loose on her. Huh, so she had even lost weight. With her pink hair a mess, red rims around her eyes and dried tear tracks on her cheeks, she looked like a corpse.

_'I look horrible.'_

**'No shit Sherlock!'** Her Inner said sarcastically.

The corners of her lips twitched upwards, and for the first time in these two weeks, there was a smile on her face.

She sighed and said "Thank you so much, Inner."

**'For what?'**

_'for being there with me….'_ "For everything."

Inner went quiet for a moment. And then he said in a soft voice ' **Sakura, you need to tell someone about it.'**

Her eyes hardened as she glared at her reflection in the mirror. _'No.'_

**'It has been two weeks since that incident. You need to get it off your chest and move on.'**

_'I am moving on._ ' She said angrily as she turned on the tap, and splashed her face with water.

**'Stop lying to yourself. You are depressed, and even you know that very well. Can't you see that your precious people are worried about you? Shisui wouldn't want you to waste your life moping around for him!'**

Her green eyes flashed in anger, and she punched the mirror with a chakra-laced fist, making it shatter into a million pieces.

"What would _you_ know about it?! You're not even _real_! You're just a figment of my imagination! You can't _feel_ anything unlike me, since you are not even _alive_!" She snarled in anger, and punching once again, this time creating cracks in the wall.

Inner's voice turned cold as he retorted **'I may not be** ** _real_** **, but I am real enough to care about the ones I love. I may not be** ** _alive_** **, but I do feel the pain of others when they see you fighting your Inner Demons. And unlike** ** _you_** **, I am not** ** _heartless_** **to ignore them when all they want to do is to help** ** _us_** **.'**

She flinched at his harsh, but true words. Her eyes watered, but no tears leaked out from them. It has been like this since Shisui jumped off that cliff. She wanted to sob, cry, wail, scream and rant at the unfairness of this all, but somehow all she felt was this hollowness inside her. Would this hollow feeling never go away? She didn't want to worry anyone, but somehow, she had ended up making them worry even more.

Her lips quivered, as she slowly sank to the ground, unable to stand any longer.

_'I-'_ She took a deep breath, _'- I never asked for this! I never asked for them to worry about me!'_

**'They're your precious people, Sakura. It's their job to worry about you. Just like Shisui did.'**

His words echoed through her mind, breaking the dam of emotions inside her. Finally, _finally,_ that hollow feeling lifted from her chest, giving in to pain, sadness, hurt and regret. Tears ran down through her cheeks full force and she tried her best to stop them, but they did not stop.

Her Inner chuckled and said **'You know, sometimes it's okay to cry.'**

"A real Shinobi never cries." She mumbled under her breath as she curled her knees towards her chest and lay down on the bathroom floor, sobbing quietly.

**'Well then, we'll just have to crush all of those real Shinobi to prove our worth.'**

Something inside her snapped at his words, and she saw a strange vision-

_"You're right, in the Ninja World, those who break the rules and laws are regarded as scum. But, those who'd abandon even one of their friends are even worse than scum. I'm scum anyway, so I will choose to break the rules. If doing that somehow makes me less of a true Shinobi, then I'll just go and crush all of the real Shinobi."_

She blinked in confusion when her vision cleared. That voice, it sounded like Inner's, isn't it? And was it her imagination or did she saw a boy with orange goggles, and funky red eyes like Shisui's and Itachi's? That… doesn't make any sense.

_….. And why is Inner being so unusually quiet?_

"Huh," she mumbled quietly as a soft smile appeared on her lips, with tears falling down from her vibrant emerald green eyes "Crushing all of the real Shinobi- That kinda sounds nice, doesn't it, Inner?"

However, Inner didn't give any reply to her question.

* * *

She watched from the shadows as Sakura finally, _finally_ broke down. She watched as she shattered a mirror with a bare fist, and even made a crack in the wall with her chakra-enhanced punch. She watched it all as Sakura laid on the bathroom floor, crying her eyes out and babbled nonsense.

"Huh," she heard Sakura mumble at last, with a heartbreaking smile on her face. "Crushing all of the real Shinobi- That kinda sounds nice, doesn't it, Inner?"

She closed her eyes and clenched her fist in resolve. Her suspicions were true, after all. This girl is not any ordinary child. She has an experience of another lifetime with her, if judging by her actions and words.

And the proof of this had been given to her two weeks ago, when this girl came home as a very different person – _looking as if she was possessed._

But now, watching her vow to break the idea of an ideal shinobi, just to prove her worth, made her heart swell with pride. Maybe, just _maybe_ , this is the child she had been looking around for years. Maybe Obito wasn't the child she had been looking for. Maybe, this girl, this little pink haired child, is the catalyst.

If she is, then she'd trust her judgement. She had been hiding the truth for her from her own safety, but if this is the child who will bring peace to this war-torn world someday, then it won't do her any good to hide the truth from her anyways. She deserves to know this truth, because after all, _she_ is the one who will save everyone one day, and she has already started walking towards her destiny. _Even though she doesn't remember it._

So yes, she will tell her everything.

_Everything._

* * *

"Despite what the Lord Third said, when push comes to shove, he will do whatever it takes to protect the Hidden Leaf Village."

"….."

"I want you to choose. Align with the Uchiha and launch the coup d'état , and be slaughtered alone with your family. Or side with the Leaf, and before they attempt a coup d'état, eliminate every Uchiha except your little brother."

***stares with wide eyes*** ' _Eliminate the Uchiha?'_

"In order to protect the Village every possible step must be taken to avoid the mayhem. The only one that can handle this mission is you, a double agent for both- the Uchiha and the Leaf." ***gives an impassive look*** "There is no one else, Itachi. Will you accept this mission?"

***glances down in defeat*"** Yes, Lord Danzo."

* * *

_The Village… The Clan….. Shinobi…._

_Is fighting… inevitable? Is there really no other way?_

_The Village or the Clan…_

_What should I do, Shisui?_

* * *

"Where are you taking me, Granny?" Sakura asked in confusion as she followed her grandmother as she led her to the basement of their house. Once upon a time her grandfather used to use the basement as his secret hideout of sorts, but after his death, it was turned into a store-room. _Who knows how many years' worth junk was lying around in this basement?_

She looked around curiously, noticing all kind of rubbish was lying in the store room- old furniture, antique paintings, some cardboard boxes containing their old things, and what not. She squeaked as she bumped into her grandmother as she suddenly stopped.

Apologizing for not paying attention, she glanced up as she saw her Grandmother walk towards a bookshelf in front of her. Sayuri pulled out a thick book with battered brown cover, and to Sakura's surprise the bookshelf moved to a side, revealing a hidden passage with a door blocking her way, with seals written all over it, blocking her path.

**'Awesome!'**

"Huh, I didn't know there was a secret passage in the basement!" Sakura exclaimed excitedly, making Sayuri's lips twitch upwards.

"You don't know a lot of things, my dear little Sakura." Sayuri said as she bit her thumb and spread her blood over the seals on the door. The seals glowed, and then the door opened.

"Amazing!" Sakura exclaimed as she eagerly followed her Grandmother into the Hidden passage. As soon as she stepped inside, the door automatically shut itself, and the walls of the passage shimmered with seals –lightening up their path as they walked forward.

She wondered what she will find down in the hidden passageway. Some sort of treasure? Or a room filled with forbidden information? Maybe Granny is hiding something really cool down there! Like a Nuclear Bomb! What about a dragon egg or something?! _Oh_ , Maybe a gateway to the other world?!

Inner sweat dropped at her crazy thoughts and muttered **'Uh, don't you think you're going too far? Dragons? Gateway to another world? Seriously?!'**

She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. She snapped into attention when she saw the end of the tunnel coming nearer, signifying by a bright light. She followed her grandmother as she walked into the bright light and she stepped next to her into the room.

What she saw in that room froze her to the core.

Her shoulders tensed, and her green eyes widened as her face paled. Her breathing turned shallow, and it took all of her strength to not faint at the sight in front of her.

_"Impossible..."_

* * *

Her pink hair danced in the wind, her breathing was ragged as she ran to the end of the North-East of the Leaf Village where the Uchiha Compound is located.

_'I have to find him. I need to tell him the truth!'_

The sky darkened as the stars twinkled in the night sky. The night was slowly befalling over the village, and everyone was inside their houses, getting ready to go to bed.

_All, except one._

She ran with only one thought in her mind-

_'I have to tell him. Itachi at least deserves to know the truth!'_

A relieved look fell over her face as soon as the gates of the Uchiha compound came into her view. She was here, finally.

_'I need to tell him, that he is not alone.'_

She slowed down her pace as she panted heavily to catch her breath, and then she opened the gates of the Compound and ran into the streets-

_'I have to tell him that…'_

-Only to freeze at the sight before her.

* * *

Fugaku asked in an angry tone, glaring at his son with his sharingan eyes "Itachi! What lies beyond this slaughter? Are you going to show me a different future from the one I showed you?"

Itachi glanced down, and then looked up at his father, his sharingan eyes turning into pinwheel like shape of the Mangekyo- "this." He said as he showed his father a vision that made his heart shudder. "This is what I see for the future of the village, and the clan."

"I see." Fugaku said as he deactivated his sharingan and looked at his son in remorse. _'Sasuke, eh?'_ He then puffed out in smoke, surprising even Itachi.

"A shadow clone?!"

* * *

It was a cold blooded slaughter. There were splatters of blood everywhere, and dead bodies lay in the street. The smell of blood entered her nostrils, making her tremble as she puked out the contents of her stomach.

She remembered so many among these dead people. _There was old lady Hana for whom she had carried groceries so many times, and then there was the grumpy old man Shuuya who would make her clean his rooftops and then would kick her out of his house, but not before sneaking a candy into her pocket_.

They lay dead in the middle of the street, with the grocery bag in old lady Hana's hand half torn and covered in dirt and blood, and the groceries spilling out of it.

_She remembered the little kids who used to beg her to play with them, and somehow always end up with making her the bad guy when they played Ninja._

And now, here they were, lying around dead, with their limbs missing.

_There was that Leaf Police Officer who used to drag up her and Naruto and punish them whenever they pranked any Uchiha._

He laid dead, with a huge slash over his chest.

Her stomach churned unpleasantly as she trembled with horror, with tears flowing out of her eyes unstoppably.

_'W-What happened here? W-Who in the world did this? And why?'_

**'Sakura, you need to get out here, NOW!'**

_'Wha-?'_

A sword ripped through her stomach, and there were splatters of blood _everywhere._

* * *

"I don't want to participate in a death match with my son." Fugaku admitted as he sat calmly next to Mikoto in their living room, with their backs towards Itachi.

Itachi walked forwards with his sword in his hands, and his sharingan eyes staring at her parents' backs. His ANBU clothes were torn from many places and splattered with blood. His footsteps echoed as he neared his parents, his sword gleaming in moonlight coming from the window.

"I see." Fugaku said. "You've aligned with the other side."

"Father, Mother," His throat turned dry, and he didn't know what to say to them. "I-"

"We already know, Itachi." Mikoto said in a calm tone, accepting the fact that she was going to die in the next few minutes.

"Itachi, promise me this!" Fugaku said, not turning towards his son, and his voice softened as he said "Take care of Sasuke."

Tears welled down his eyes as he promised "I will." His hands which held the sword, trembled. He did not want to do this. He did not want to kill his parents.

_But as a shinobi, it was his duty to protect his village, even if he had to kill his parents for it._

"Do not fear it." Fugaku said in a proud tone. "This is the path you've chosen. Compared to yours, our pain will be over in an instant. Our philosophies may differ, but I am proud of you."

Sobs wrecked through his body as he tried, but failed to keep in his tears. His very own soul felt like it was being shattered into pieces.

"You truly are a kind child." Fugaku said in a soft voice and closed his eyes, awaiting the final blow.

Itachi held up his sword, and brought it down on his parents, killing both of them in one strike.

* * *

She fell down on the ground, blood pooling around her. An unbearable pain shot through her stomach, burning through her body. She placed her hand over her wound to try to stop the bleeding, but it won't work. She could've used her Medical Ninjutsu to stop the bleeding, but unfortunately, the wound was way too deep and it seems like it had nicked her internal organs, as well as the fact that the sight of blood made her nauseous didn't help the situation at all.

She wondered why she even bothered to be a medic Ninja when she always fainted at the sight of blood.

Her emerald green eyes, that used to hold warmth that was loved by everyone, glazed over and started dulling. Her thoughts were all turning to mush, and she found it hard to stay awake. Her eyelids felt heavier by the second, and she wondered if she could take a nap.

_Maybe for a second?_

She could hear Inner screaming inside her mind, but the pain was overriding all her senses, which was followed by numbness. She soon found herself drowsing off, though deep inside her she knew she had to fight back.

But the sleep was too tempting to pass.

She opened her eyes for one last time, and her glazed over vision did not help her at all, but she swore she could see an orange mask with spiral patterns over it, with a sharingan eye glaring at her from one hole.

"You chose a very wrong time to visit the compound, little girl."

That was the last thing she heard before she drifted into darkness.

* * *

"Oh no, what have you done?!" Sasuke asked with wide eyes as he stared at the corpses of his father and mother lying on the ground, blood pooling around them, and Itachi stood over them, his face an emotionless mask, and he stared at him like a predator stares at it's prey.

"Foolish little brother, I almost pity you." Itachi said in a cold tone and then closed his eyes. When he opened them next, the commas of the sharingan had shifted into the next stage.

"Mangekyo Sharingan!" Itachi said as he pulled Sasuke into a genjutsu far worse than anything in the shinobi world-

A Genjutsu based on the Mangekyo Sharingan, also known as _Tsukuyomi._

* * *

A pained scream rang around the Uchiha compound, piercing through the darkness that had Sakura in it's clutches.

_'Sasuke!'_

Green eyes snapped open as she took deep breaths. She was alone now, her attacker must have gone, thinking that she was dead.

**'Oh kami, don't scare me like that ever again!'**

She groaned in pain and clutched her wound, which was still bleeding heavily. The blood loss was making her vision blurry, she found it hard once again to fight off the drowsiness.

**'Don't you dare to die on me, Sakura!** ' Inner screeched in her mind, chasing off the drowsiness. Sakura whimpered and cried at the pain she was feeling. She hiccupped and trembled, remembering how the sword easily slashed into her stomach.

_Oh God she could've died by now! Ohgodohgodohgod-_

**'calm down! Stop panicking!'** Inner said as he calmed the whirlwind of thoughts in her mind. **'You are a medical Ninja in training! Use Mystic Palm technique to heal yourself!'**

_'B-But the blood-'_

**'It's not gonna bite, you know. You are a medic-in-training! Pull yourself together! Besides, we heard Sasuke's screams a moment ago, didn't we? What if that assassin had attacked him too? We need to help him!'**

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried out in pain and self-loathing. _'I-I couldn't even put up a fight against that masked man, how can I even think of saving Sasuke?'_ She bit her lip and thought, _'M-Maybe I should get back home as soon as I can and tell Granny Sayuri about it. She may be able to do something about it-'_

**'So you're going to run away while your friend's life is in danger? Is that why you've been training so hard till now, just so that you can run away at the first chance you get? You are just going to abandon your friend like that?'**

_'I'm just-'_

**'Have you forgotten already?** **In the Ninja World, those who break the rules and laws are regarded as scum. But, those who'd abandon even one of their friends are even worse than scum** **.'** Inner's voice softened as he said to **her 'you are braver than you think, Sakura. Just believe in yourself, because I believe in you. So does everyone else. Even Shisui.'**

She squeezed her eyes shut.

**'So, stop doubting yourself and get UP!'**

She took a shaky breath as her hand glowed a pale bluish green, and her wound started healing. It was not much, but at least it'd stop the bleeding for now.

She got up shakily, and panted slightly. She clenched her fists as she stood up. She opened her eyes however, there was something different about them now. Her eyes were filled with determination and shone with courage that she never knew she possessed.

However, the red of the sharingan was unmistakable in her right eye.

* * *

"Itachi! P-Please! Don't kill me!"

"You're not even worth killing, Foolish Little Brother. If you wish to kill me one day, foster your hatred and despise me. Surviving in such an unsightly manner as this." ***chuckles harshly*** "By all means flee. Cling to your wretched life."

* * *

"N-No!"

Itachi and Sasuke both glanced sideways, and saw a pink haired girl standing in the middle of the street, with corpses laying all around her. Itachi's eyes zeroee on the wound on her stomach that was partially healed, and the way she clutched it. Her orange goggles were tilted and splattered with blood, and her hair shadowed her eyes. He gritted his teeth in frustration. _That Madara…..!_

"Sakura!" Sasuke cried out in horror. He was still trembling in fear. "Go away while you still can, or he will kill you too, just like he killed the entire clan!"

"I don't believe you." She said in a cold tone as she walked towards them slowly.

"Don't come here! I'm telling you, he will kill you just like he killed everyone!"

"Itachi-" she took a deep breath. "No, he would never do something like this. He would never kill his own family like that. _Never._ "

"What do you know of me, you foolish little girl?" Itachi said in a mocking tone as Sakura kept walking towards them, and finally stood in front of Sasuke, facing Itachi, with her pink hair shadowing her eyes.

"You are right." She said in a quiet tone. "I may not know you. But I believe in my brother Shisui, who entrusted you to protect this village and this clan. You would never sully his memories by breaking his promise."

Itachi just stared at her. _How did she…..?_

"Well then," He said coldly as he unsheathed his sword, "Let me prove it to you how I broke my promise to Shisui." Saying this, he rushed towards her and attacked her with his sword, but was surprised when she defended herself from his attack with a kunai in her hand. He kept attacking her, but she parried with him for every blow.

She stepped back and pursued his lips. How could she keep up with his moves? _Unless…._

"The Itachi I know would never do anything without reason. So tell me, what is your reason for slaughtering the entire Uchiha clan?" She asked him in a quiet tone. **"TELL ME!"** she snarled at him as she glanced up. The moonlight fell over her eyes, and he saw that her left eye was closed.

But what stunned him was the fact that in her right eye the three black commas of the sharingan were spinning.

_Shisui… you were right, your sister is truly worthy of the Uchiha name._

"Why, you ask? To test the limits of my abilities." Itachi said coldly.

"To test your abilities?" She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him "that's a load of Bullshit and you know it! If you think I am going to believe your lies, then you are dead wrong!"

"I don't have to explain anything to you." He said coolly as he sheathed his sword. "You are not even worth my time." Saying this, once again his eyes turned to the second stage. " _Mangekyo Sharingan!"_

* * *

Her world turned black and red, and she found she could not move. She was tied to a pole, and Itachi stood in front of her with his sword in his hand.

"You know how your dearest older brother died?" Itachi taunted her as he tilted his head. "I was the one who killed him."

"You're lying." She said as she gritted her teeth and struggled against the bounds, but to no avail.

"Why don't you see for yourself, then?" He said mockingly as several visions appeared before her in red and black-

_Shisui stood on the top of the cliff, blood leaking from both of his empty eye sockets._

"No, stop!" She said as she shook her head and trembled in fear, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

_Shisui kept walking backwards towards the very edge of the cliff._

"Please, No!" She sobbed and wailed like a lunatic, but Itachi was not fazed at all.

_Shisui smiled warmly as he stepped off the cliff, accepting his death._

"NO!" Sakura screamed in agony, as Itachi mercilessly made her see that vision again, and again, and again.

"I was the one who _made_ Shisui take such a drastic step. I was the one who _gouged_ out his eyes. I was the one who _killed_ him." Itachi said in an emotionless tone, his voice rising with each sentence.

She looked up at him and gave him a wobbly smile. "I….. pity you, Itachi."

Itachi just stared impassively at her.

She looked at him with her mismatched eyes and said "You know why I came to the Uchiha Compound today? I came here to tell you something. Came here to tell you that you don't have to burden everything alone, that you are not alone, That you still have a chance, Itachi. But I was too late." She choked out a sob, "I- I wished I could've told you sooner. I had blamed you for Shisui's death for a long time now." Then she shook her head and muttered "How foolish I've been. I blamed you for something that wasn't even your fault."

She looked up at him and gave him a warm smile, and even though she was still crying, and covered in blood, Itachi felt like this is the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. "It is hard, isn't it, to follow your Will of Fire when you're torn apart from inside?"

Itachi was too stunned to speak. Somehow, her words had hit home.

"I don't understand what you're doing, and why you're doing it," She said, "but I guess in a twisted way you are doing everything you can to protect the village and the Uchiha name, even though I don't understand it one bit. Isn't that what you promised my brother, Itachi?"

She glanced up at the red and black sky of the Tsukuyomi world, and she muttered with a glazed look in her mismatched eyes "Shisui once told me that a shinobi is the one who obeys the laws of his village. The shinobi of the Leaf Village protect their friends, even if it means risking their own lives, because that is their will of Fire." She looked at him with a piercing gaze "But is it really our village's way to sacrifice our friend's lives from start? Somehow, even if your cruel actions would end up saving this village from a big disaster, do you think they'd be proud of what you did for their sake when they come to know the truth? The upcoming generations of children would never be able to believe in the Will of Fire if they ever came to know the reason behind your actions! They would be disgusted by their own village!"

She looked down at her feet and said "I myself may not know the reason behind your actions, but I know you'd never do anything that would harm the village in any way, so why? Why do you believe that killing your entire clan would bring peace in Future? Why would you sacrifice everything just for something you _'believe'_ is for the good of the village? Is this your will of fire?" She then looked up at him, and he gasped when he saw her right eye spinning in a pinwheel shape –the shape of Mangekyo Sharingan.

_"Is this your Ninja Way?"_

The World of Tsukuyomi broke down as soon Sakura found herself back in the real world. It seemed to her like she had spent days in the Mangekyo world, but in reality, only mere seconds have passed. She panted as she deactivated her Mangekyo Sharingan, and fainted from Chakra Exhaustion, but not before whispering-

"You may even kill me if you want, but I can never hate you, Itachi, for following your Ninja Way."

_'I couldn't tell him in the end, after all.'_

**'One day, maybe, we'll tell him the truth. We will bring him back to the Village, no matter what.'**

' _Yes, and that's_ _ **a Promise of a Lifetime!'**_

* * *

It took a moment for Itachi to finally muster some semblance of sanity. Sakura had literally shred his soul into pieces, her words cutting deeper and deeper. However, it won't do him good to break down now, before even completing his task. So, mustering up his courage, he slipped on his emotionless mask as Sasuke fret over the unconscious Sakura, who lay down next to him.

"Sakura! No,wake up, please! Please! Sakura!" Sasuke said hysterically as he shook her shoulders and tried to wake her up, but to no avail.

"Hn, so she wasn't even worth killing after all. She is worthless, just like you, my Foolish Little Brother." Itachi said in a cold tone, freezing his little brother at the killing Intent he leaked out. He then turned around and walked away, but not before saying "One day, when you possess the same eyes, come back and face me." He then turned his face towards Sasuke, his eyes spinning in the pattern of Mangekyo Sharingan, and soon, Sasuke's world turned black.

* * *

"First, you have my thanks, Itachi. Civil war has been averted in the Hidden Leaf. We have maintained peace."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"However, I regret that there was no other way to achieve this."

"I apologize."

"I am the one who must apologize. You will now be branded as a Rogue Ninja who massacred his entire clan, and be listed in the Bingo Book as a fugitive, wanted dead or alive."

"That goes without saying."

"What will you do from now?"

"I've found aid from a group called the "Akatsuki". I intend to stay close to them in order to make sure a _promise_ is not broken."

* * *

_"Please protect this village and the honor of the Uchiha name….and Sakura too. Take care of her for me, please."_

_"I accept."_


	6. The Crimson Assassin.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sakura's Granny shows that she's not any regular old, feeble Granny and we get a glimpse of a deadly assassin behind the person that is Sayuri Haruno.

"Hiruzen, is there any reason why you called me here?" Sayuri asked in a calm tone as she stared boringly at the Hokage and his three advisors- _Homura, Koharu and Danzo_ that sat next to him in the council room. She may seem calm from outside, but inside she was seething. _Right now she should be at the hospital, for her granddaughter's surgery, instead she was here with these bastards for god knows why._

Before Hiruzen could sugarcoat his words, Danzo beat him to it as he said in an accusatory tone "I heard your granddaughter was present when Itachi murdered almost the entire Uchiha Clan." Hiruzen shot him a look, but he ignored him.

"Your point?" She asked coolly, in a detached tone.

"What a coincidence that she happened to be in the Uchiha compound at the exact time when Itachi killed his Clan members, isn't it?" He said calmly.

"Are you trying to accuse my granddaughter of something?" Sayuri asked with a raised brow, her green eyes filled with dark amusement as she watched the war hawk discreetly put all the blame of the Uchiha Massacre on her. _'So typical of you, Danzo'_. She mused wryly. If she hadn't been used to his antics, she'd have sorely upset by _his not-so-discreet_ accusations.

He was just trying to pull all the blame on her, so that if anyone even have a hint of doubt on him being behind this massacre, he'll just have to nudge him towards her, and no one would doubt at her being behind all this. And if someone even know the bad blood between her and the Uchiha clan, people won't even need a reason to not doubt her, and add to the fact that her own granddaughter had been found on the crime scene, people would surely start thinking the worst, and she'd be blamed for the Uchiha Massacre.

_Typical._

"Not her, you." He said in his usual emotionless tone.

Hiruzen wanted badly to butt in the conversation and try to placate the tension that was building between the two of them, but a sharp glance for Koharu made him bite his lip. Apparently, this matter is between two former teammates, so he should let them sort it out.

Sayuri chuckled darkly, which did nothing to ease the tension in the room and said in a mocking tone. "Oh that's strange, considering the fact that you were the ones who ordered him to murder his own Clan. Am I right or not, _O Honourable Council-members_?"

The four of them tensed.

"You shouldn't speak of such matters carelessly." Homura said sharply.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve now?" Sayuri said with an innocent face, but her dark green eyes told them that she was enjoying riling them up.

"You should know your place, Sayuri." Koharu said with a glare.

Sayuri returned her glare with full force and said "I'm not the one who needs to be reminded of their places, Koharu." She then clenched her fists and said "You three are the members of the Council, you should start acting like one. You are not the Hokage, you have no right to order around the shinobi of this village as if they are your pawns, that right is of the Fire Shadow alone." She death glared at Koharu, Homura and Danzo and continued her rant "How desperate are you to cover up for your mishaps, that you are trying to accuse an eight year old for your crimes? Have you three gone senile?"

"So you do not deny the fact that you had an ulterior motive in sending your granddaughter to the Uchiha Compound at the night of the Massacre." Danzo accused her, coolly.

She laughed harshly and said "Do you even hear what you're saying? Your words sound so ludicrous!" She then said with an eye roll "sure, I knew that was going to happen sooner or later, but I didn't know that Sakura would choose that time to act on her obsession with Sasuke and stalk – _er, I meant follow_ \- him into the Uchiha compound." She lied easily. After all, it was true though, _sort of_. Sakura had been a major Fangirl of Sasuke, until lately when even the name of the said boy brought a scowl on her face. She still wondered what the hell happened to change her mind pretty quickly. Well, it's not like it mattered to her anyways. As long as Sakura took her training seriously, she'd overlook her eccentric quirks.

She then processed Danzo's words again in her mind, and realized that the bastard actually threatened her dearest granddaughter in the guise of an accuse. She narrowed her eyes at the handicapped old bastard before she glowered as she stormed towards them and slammed her and on the table with a chakra-laced fist, making the four of them stare at her with wide eyes "Don't you dare try to even think of hurting my precious little Sakura, or I swear I'll remind you why _the Crimson Assassin_ is feared around the five Great Nations."

She made sure to keep her glare at the old war-monger as she soon stormed out of the room and towards the Hospital, where her granddaughter Sakura needed her most.

* * *

She was so _, so_ cold. Why was she so cold? She could feel sweat breaking out from her body, but she didn't feel any heat. She shivered, feeling the coldness settle in her bones. Her eyelids felt so, _so_ heavy that it was a torture to open them. But she did, even if it was to escape the horrible images of dead Uchihas lying in a courtyard, because it was all a lie, right? There's no way someone would massacre the Uchiha Clan, isn't it? Especially not Itachi.

_Right?_

Her vision was blurry, marred with white splotches here and there. Her head felt like it was splitting, and her stomach churned unpleasantly. She fought to keep the contents of her stomach from rising to her throat as the world around her spun – _much to her confusion_. Her eyelids, which felt as if they weighed a ton, closed shut, and once again, horrible images spun too life in her mind-

_She opened her eyes for one last time, and her glazed over vision did not help her at all, but she swore she could see an orange mask with spiral patterns over it, with a sharingan eye glaring at her from one hole-_

She shifted her upper body towards the side and retched out the contents of her stomach, trembling horribly, trying to shake the horrible image out of her mind. Someone brought a bucket next to her as she vomited out her last meal. She felt someone push her hair back, and muttering soothing words to her as she emptied the contents of her stomach.

When she was done, the other person helped her lay back on the bed and hummed her to sleep. Much to her relief, Inner banished those horrible images to some corner of her mind, so she could sleep peacefully.

* * *

Sayuri placed her hand over her granddaughter's forehead and bit her lip when she realized that her fever was still high. It has been a week since the Uchiha Masaccre –a week since her dear Sakura had fallen under the she turned sick, and each day her condition was getting worse. She had been waiting for her to wake up so that she could discuss something important with her, but it doesn't look like she'll recover soon.

Sakura tossed and turned in her sleep, whimpering and panting with sweat glistening from her body. She must've something going on in her mind, and it doesn't look good at all. She wonders if Sakura will wake up soon.

Sighing, Sayuri placed her glowing green hands over her forehead and eased some of her pain. When Sakura could breathe much easier than before, she removed her hands from her forehead. Then she walked away, but not before glancing at her for one last time.

"Wake up soon, my dear little Sakura." She whispered and walked out of that hospital room.

* * *

She wearily glanced at the door as someone turned the knob from the other side, and then the door opened. Sayuri Haruno was startled to see her granddaughter awake after two long weeks' unconsciousness.

"Oh, you're awake!" She exclaimed as she rushed towards her granddaughter and started checking her vitals as she helped her sit up and lean against a pillow.

"G-Granny?" Sayuri, who had been checking up on her fever, halted when she heard the broken voice of her granddaughter. She glanced up at her dear little Sakura as she said in a detached tone "You know I had a really strange dream. I dreamed that Itachi killed the entire Uchiha clan except for Sasuke, but that's impossible right?"

**'Er… I don't think so….** ' Her Inner muttered uncertainly.

Sayuri bit her lower lip as she stared at her with a sad expression "Oh Sakura…." She then sighed and said in a pained voice "It was not a dream, it's real." Sakura stared at her with wide eyes, looking at her pleadingly to not complete her statement, but she did anyways. "Two weeks ago, Itachi Uchiha murdered his entire Clan, except for his younger brother."

Her breathing quickened and she shook her head vehemently, trying her best not to cry. "No, it's not true. You're lying, Granny."

**'No Outer, she is not.'**

_'She has to be. There's no possible way Itachi would-'_

**'I know, even if Itachi didn't kill his clan, then someone else did. You** **_do_ ** **remember what happened that night, right?'**

_'Yeah…..'_

Sayuri frowned at her granddaughter. "Sweetie, Have I ever lied to you, before?"

"No but," She bit her lip as her emerald green eyes desperately looked at her grandmother, with tears leaking out of them "-But I know it's not true. I-" She paused before she could utter out some vital information just like that. The first lesson that her granny Sayuri had beaten into her was to not leak out any vital information unless you're sure that no enemy – _or unknown character_ \- can overhear you. She wiped her tears and took a deep breath and said "There's something I need to tell you."

The hard look in her eyes made Sayuri pause, and she slammed her hand on the floor. An array of runes jumbled out and spread around the room, and glowed brightly. As soon as she activated the privacy seals, she stared at Sakura and said coolly, "What did you want to tell me?"

**'Tell her the truth, she may be able to use that knowledge better than us. She is older than us and is more experienced. She may be able to help us out.'** Inner said to her soothingly.

She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was going to say "Itachi didn't kill his clan members," she then paused as she remembered how Sasuke had accused Itachi of killing their parents. He wouldn't have accused him of such a crime if he hadn't watched him do it with his own eyes, "not all of them, anyway." She said in a quiet tone. "There was someone else present there that night, who I am certain is the person who killed the entire Uchiha Clan."

"How are you so sure about it?" Sayuri asked her warily.

Sakura's eyes averted from her Granny's sharp ones, and she sub-consciously placed a hand over her bandaged torso and winced and said "because the said attacker had attacked me too." The horrible memory started playing in her mind once again and she cringed-

_-an orange mask with spiral patterns over it, with a sharingan eye glaring at her from one hole-_

Thankfully, Inner banished it before Sakura could start panicking over it, but her body had started trembling at the mere image of that man appearing in her mind. It took all her self control tonot have a panic attack at the very moment.

Sayuri clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in anger. Someone harmed her little cub, or the bastard is so gonna pay. "Who was it?" She asked, calmly, although she was feeling anything but calm. "Did you see him or something?"

Sakura shook her head as her trembling didn't stop. "I-I didn't. My vision was all blurry when I saw him, though I did see an Orange mask." She then licked her dry lip as she remembered a finer detail of that masked man "B-But he had one sharingan eye in his right eye, just like mine." She pointed at her own right eye as she said that, surprising Sayuri.

Sayuri frowned the other attacker was an Uchiha too? How was that possible? Was he some Rogue Uchiha whom she had no information about? Or someone from the Clan who at the last moment decided to side with Itachi, but remain anonymous so as not to get pulled into Clan politics and all?

The sheer possibilities of this unknown variable in this situation made her head spin. _Ugh, she hated unknown variables._ They made strategizing even much more difficult, and that's saying something considering she was one of the best Tacticians of Konoha in her youth, and had been the Sensei of the former Ino-Shika-Cho Trio.

"Granny?"

She hummed thoughtlessly as she thought of various possibilities, and about how she was going to breach this subject to Shikaku. Maybe she shouldn't bother telling him about this, it'd be better to not drag him in this mess, not until she had at least an inkling of who this unknown attacker was.

"Will you tell me why Itachi did…..what he did?" Sakura asked shyly, her voice trembling as she tried her best not to start crying again.

Now _that_ brought Sayuri out of her stupor. "What?" she asked stupidly.

"Was-" she gulped in fear, even such a possibility made her fear for the future of Konoha "-Was he ordered to take such a drastic step? B-Because the Itachi I know would've never done anything like this." Her lips quivered, her eyes filled with tears as she stared up at her Grandmother "So why? Why would he do something so cruel, Granny?"

Sayuri's heart clenched as she watched Sakura's pleading expression. She wanted to tell her everything, really. But she couldn't.

Sakura was too young to be dragged into this mess, which was nothing but a badly played political move. If Sakura ever got to know the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre, she'd lose faith from her own village and the will of Fire.

So, Sayuri just sighed and ruffled her pink hair and said "Don't worry about it, Sakura. You don't have to burden yourself with such things."

"But you'll tell me the truth someday, won't you?" She asked pleadingly.

"…..Someday." She agreed with her, hiding her crossed fingers behind her back.

She prayed to God that the day Sakura knows the truth never comes.

* * *

_I- Inu- Tori- Saru- Hitsuji_

_"Summoning Jutsu!"_

***poof*** _"…..Lady Sayuri?"_

_"Greetings, Takeshi."_

_"I thought you were tending to your cub? I heard from the triplets that their new summoner had been injured gravely."_

***says in a dark tone*** _"She is fine now, though we have business to attend to."_

_"…which is?"_

***chuckles mockingly*** _"Apparently, some moron thought it'd be a good idea to fatally injure my Granddaughter."_

_"So, that means….."_

***smirks sadistically*** _"Yes, Takeshi. It's time for Hunting."_

* * *

Two figure in shadows sneaked into a silent hallway, and then hid outside a room, outside which a huge board hung saying- 'MORGUE'. The two masked figures sensed the chakra around them, and when they confirmed that no one was around, they sneaked into the room without making any noise. The two of them glanced over the many bodies that laid in the morgue. One of the masked Ninja hand signed the other in ANBU codes, and the other replied back with hand-signs as he pulled out a container filled with a liquid used for preserving organs, while the other masked figure pulled off a blanket from a dead body, revealing a dead Uchiha's corpse.

The masked Ninja's hands glowed green and was about to gouge out the Uchiha's eyes, when suddenly, some cherry blossom petals fell from the ceiling.

_'A Genjutsu?_ ' the two masked figures thought as they stopped their chakra flow for a moment, and then increased it, but the Genjutsu wasn't released.

"Boom!" a voice floated around them, startling them.

Suddenly, the walls of the room glowed brightly with seals, as the cherry blossom petals started exploding. Both the masked figures didn't even get the time to think about anything before they were caught in the explosion and while they were distracted by the explosions, a kunai pierced through their juglar vein with precision, killing them in an instant.

A pair of jade green eyes watched coldly as the two masked figures fell down on the floor with a THUD!, the container slipping from one of their hands and shattered in a million pieces.

"Oh dear, I must be getting old if my dear old teammate Danzo thinks I won't realize his petty attempts at stealing the Uchiha eyes." The woman said in a mocking tone as she sealed the two dead Root Ninjas in a scroll, and deactivated the privacy seals as she cleaned up the mess made by the Root agents.

"He always forgets that there's a reason why I'm called _the Crimson Assassin_." She said with a smirk on her lips, and her jade green eyes shining with dark amusement.

* * *

"You're insane." Sayuri blurted out as she stared at Hiruzen, who just smoked from his pipe, having no care in the world, although the dark bags under his eyes said otherwise.

"I am not." He said wearily, rubbing his eyes as he could feel a headache coming after dealing with all this shit that has gone down after the Uchiha Massacre. The no. of Shinobi on active duty rooster have taken a hit, all thanks to the Massacre, and now he had to make his Ninjas pull a double shift and hand out missions much more frequently to keep their economy from collapsing. And not only that, but he had to make his ANBU do even the work of the Leaf Police Force, other than their usual missions. By the time all this settles down, he was sure he'd get a worse headache.

"Then why are you even suggesting that I take Sasuke Uchiha under my jurisdiction?" Sayuri asked flatly.

"It's either that, or letting him join Root and hand him to Danzo on a silver platter, which frankly I am very reluctant to do so." Hiruzen said as he grimaced, looking as if he had aged a decade in just two weeks. She could sympathize with him, after all he is the one who has all the workload of this village on his shoulders. The most affected by the Uchiha Massacre is probably him.

She just raised an eyebrow at that.

He sighed and said "Look, you are the only one who can take him in. Since the whole Uchiha clan was massacred, there's no one whom we can hand over Sasuke. Itachi doesn't count –he is already registered as a Missing-Nin and a Traitor to the Leaf Village. You, Sayuri, had once been a part of Uchiha Clan. Even though you had been kicked out of the clan, you can't deny the fact that you have Uchiha Blood running in your veins." He then gave her a look and said "So just suck it up and take responsibility over him."

"Ugh, fine!" She groaned at the thought of having more responsibility than she already does. She then gave Hiruzen a sharp look and pointed a finger at him warningly "But don't expect me to take him home and treat him like a family, because no Uchiha Brat will _ever_ be a part my family, considering the fact that the Uchihas had never treated me like a family." She then muttered under her breath in a bitter tone "Those bastards had never treated me like a family, why should I even extend the same courtesy to their last surviving member?"

* * *

***poof***

_"Did you find anything, Takeshi?"_

_"No, Lady Sayuri. There were no traces of scent or his chakra or whatsoever. And the only trail we somehow got hold off was very faint and had gotten cold. We couldn't even trace him."_

_"Darn it!"_

* * *

"Sasuke," Sakura said softly one day, while her Grandmother had been feeding her forcefully so she could take her medicines afterwards. "How is he?"

It has been some days since she had woken up, and had met her friends Hinata and Naruto who had been worried sick about her. Hinata had come to visit her after making her father put an appointment to visit her in the Hospital, however, since Naruto was not allowed in the Private Section of the hospital and was banned from the hospital for reasons that were unknown to her, Granny Sayuri had to smuggle him inside so that he could at least stop annoying her day in and day out to make him meet her.

Sayuri pursued her lips as she replied "Not so good. He has been unresponsive to anything ever since he had been woken up from his sharingan-induced Genjutsu. That boy is depressed, that much is obvious, and has not gotten over the fact that his Clan has been killed, by his elder brother no less." She then sighed and said with a groan "If he keeps this up, I'm afraid he'll kill himself with some suicide attempt or something." Then she muttered something along the lines of 'and then Hiruzen will kill me for sure.'

**'Poor him, he has no family left. No wonder he's depressed.'** Inner said as he sympathized with Sasuke.

Sakura glanced outside the window, and stared at the four carved faces of the previous Leaders of the Leaf Village on the Hokage Monument, and her eyes glimmered with determination. "Let me talk to him."

"Why?" Her Grandmother asked as she raised her brow.

"I have a favor to return." She said, remembering Sasuke's words when he had tried to raise her spirits when she had been depressed after Shisui's death.

_Sasuke placed his hands in his pocket and looked at her intensely. The weight of his stare did not even faze her. He sighed and said in a quiet, but strong tone "You will be fine."_

_She glanced up at him, and saw him smile at her for the first time. He placed his hand over her shoulder and squeezed it. "I know you will." He gave her a closed eye smile as she stared at him blankly, and then he walked away from her._

* * *

Sakura stared at Sasuke, who just sat there on the hospital bed, wearing the hideous hospital gown, staring ahead in front of him with a faraway expression. His pale skin was paler than usual, and the usual shine was gone from his black hair. There was a dead and cold look in his eyes, that sent a shiver down her spine.

She walked near his bed, and climbed over it, sitting next to him. She placed her hands on his cheeks, which felt slightly cool on her touch. She stared into his onyx eyes, and she saw _something_ change in them. Recognition, probably? Or a sort or camaraderie?

She slid her right hand from his cheek to his shoulder, and squeezed it and said quietly "Sasuke, Stay strong. You will be fine."

"I know you will." She then gave him a closed eye smile and said warmly, though with a hoarse tint in it **"After all, I** ** _never_** **abandon my comrades in their time of need."**

Something inside him snapped, and a tear leaked out of his onyx eyes. And then another. And another.

Soon enough, he was crying his heart out, while Sakura hugged him and rubbed his back calmly, and spoke soothing words to him.

They may not be friends, but they were now comrades of sorts who shared the same pain, though for different reasons.

Sasuke wanted to take revenge for the pain he was suffering through, while Sakura wished no one ever suffered through the pain she was going through.

And the only way both of them could achieve their wishes was to be strong.

_Time to start training seriously._

* * *

**(END OF THE CHILDHOOD ARC)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danzo may seem a bit OOC in this chappie, but I think in his own way he was trying to indirectly pull all the blame on Sayuri. He figured that if anyone had any suspicions about him being behind this Massacre, by this he'd just have to nudge them towards Sayuri and made them think that this was all plotted by Sayuri. Those who know of Sayuri's history with Uchiha clan would have no doubt believing such accusations. I wanted to create a scenario, where Danzo being the paranoid bastard he is, tries to shake off any suspicions anyone may have on him. I hope I created that scene well.
> 
> So, what do you think? I know this chapter is shorter than the rest, but well, I didn't know what else to include in it. I tried my best though, and I do hope you liked this chapter.
> 
> So, REVIEW!


	7. Worse Than Scum.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura and gang graduate from the Academy and become gennin. Team Seven pass Kakashi's bell test with flying colors, and also manage to shake Kakashi's world with their sheer awesomeness! (just kidding)

 

**GENNIN ARC**

* * *

_Four Years Later….._

* * *

_(Graduation Exam Day)_

_"Gentle Fist Art: 8 Trigrams 64 Palms!"_

"8 Trigrams 2 Palms!"

"4 Palms!"

"8 Palms!"

"16 Palms!"

"32 Pal-"

Hinata's feet stumbled and she tripped down, breathing heavily with sweat marring her forehead. The dummy she had been practicing on was shredded to pieces with her attacks.

"Hinata!"Sakura and Naruto cried out as they ran towards their friend and helped her sit up. Sakura's hands glowed green as she healed the minor scraps on Hinata's arms and legs and said "You don't have to push yourself so hard, Hinata. I'm sure you'll get it soon."

Hinata's eyes watered and she said "B-But when, Sakura? I-I thought I'd s-surprise my Father b-by s-showing him t-t-this technique….. H-How c-c-can I m-make h-him p-p-proud of m-me if I-I can't even do t-t-this jutsu that e-even B-B-Brother N-Neji has M-Mastered a w-while ago?"

Sakura sighed as she sat down next to Hinata, and patted the space on the ground next to her for Naruto, and he immediately came and sat beside her. She looked at Hinata and said "Look Hinata, not everyone learns the same way." she bit her lip, wondering if she should say the next words or not, but then decided to be truthful and say them anyway. "Neji, well, he may be a douche bag of worst kind, but even I can't deny the fact that he's a genius-"

Naruto's face soured as he muttered darkly "I hate him."

Sakura whirled her head towards him and smacked his arm to which he scowled "-no one asked for your opinion" then she turned her head towards Hinata – _who had looked away, dejected_ \- and said "Anyway, as I was saying, that yes your cousin may be rude, but he is a Genius, no doubt about it. But Hinata, you are your own self, and that's all that matters." She laced her hand over her shoulder and squeezed it and then said "So what if you can't master the  _Gentle Fist- Eight Trigrams, Sixty Four Palms Technique?_  I'm sure you'll come up with a better technique than that, something that'll make the 64 Palms look like a child's play compared to your awesome technique!"

Hinata's eyes watered as she asked in a sad tone "Y-You b-b-believe I c-can do such a t-thing, Sakura?"

Sakura beamed at her and nodded. Suddenly, Inner whispered to her an idea, and her eyes brightened at that.

**'Wel, if she's really having problems mastering 64 palms, why can't she just create a technique that's unique to her, and only her?'**

_'Inner, you're a genius!'_  Sakura gushed happily.

**'I am?'**

She snapped her fingers and said with a bright smile "Hey, why don't you make your own technique?"

Naruto grinned foxily and said "Yeah! I like the sound of that!"

"M-My o-own technique?" Hinata squeaked out.

"That's right!" Sakura said with a huge smile on her face "You can make your own technique that only you can do; something that's unique and kick-ass! Then I'm sure your Father will definitely be impressed with you."

"B-But how? I d-don't know…." Hinata said as she bit her lip.

"Don't worry, we'll help you out." Sakura said as she side-hugged Hinata. "Between the three of us, I'm sure we'll get you a new technique in no time."

"Yeah! That's right!" Naruto cheered as he gave a Death hug to the two girls, and Hinata immediately turned red – _if it was because of Naruto's close proximity, or because of the fact that Naruto was choking the both of them; Sakura couldn't tell._

"C-c-Can't B-B-rea-the!" Sakura said as she made weird choking sounds and Naruto quickly released them, while smile sheepishly. As Sakura regained her breath, she glared at Naruto, she kicked his shin, to which he yelped.

"What was that for?"

"You deserved it, bastard!"

"I'll show you!" Naruto roared as he held Sakura in a choke-hold, and while she pulled on his blonde hair. Hinata slowly inched away from them so as not to get caught in the cat-fight, but to no avail as Sakura pulled her towards them, by pulling on her jacket, and soon a three-way fight ensured between them.

"WHY ARE YOU CAUSING SUCH A RUCKUS IN MY BACKYARD?!" Granny sayuri roared, making the three children freeze in her grey hair whipping around her, and her emerald green eyes blazing in Fury, the Old woman stormed out of the house, and towards them, and pinned them with a glare, while she narrowed her eyes and placed her hands around her hips.

"Explain." She ordered as she glanced at Sakura.

The three of them untangled themselves, and stood straight, so as not to tick her off more than she already was.

"Er…." Sakura said as she glanced up at her Granny, and scratched the back of her head sheepishly "We were training?"

"Yeah right." Sayuri scoffed, while she glared at them. She then raised her eyebrows as she remembered something. "By the way, what are you still doing here? Don't you have your Graduation Test Today?"

"We're just having a last minute training Session, believe it!" Naruto piped in.

Sayuri rolled her eyes as she said bemusedly "Oh really? Then shouldn't you be at the Academy, considering you're already thirty minutes late."

"Oh CRAP!" The three of them yelled in unison as they took of towards the Academy, leaving behind dust, which made Granny Sayuri cough.

"Language!" She managed to croak out before they disappeared from her view.

She then smiled softly and shook her head, muttering "Honestly, children these days….."

* * *

"Sorry Iruka-Sensei, we're late. You see, we had been training and lost track of time."

"Sakura, I swear, your lateness is rubbing off everyone. Who the heck comes late during their graduation exam?"

***Ino says*"** Apparently, Forehead does."  ***everyone snickers***

"Shut up Ino-pig! No one asked for your opinion!"  ***Naruto snorts in amusement while Hinata smiles.***

"What did you say, you Billboard-Brow?!"

"Do you have defective ears or what?"

"You-"

***Iruka yells*"** SILENCE!"

"….."

"….."

"Sakura, Naruto, Hinata, go to your seats and do your written exam. You won't be given an extra hour 'coz being half an hour late was your fault only."

"But Iruka-Sensei-"

"No buts! Go to your seats and do your tests silently or get out of the class and let others finish their paper!"

***mutters as she walks towards her seat***  "Jeez, I wonder who shoved a stick up your as-"

"SAKURA!"

***squeaks** * "SORRY IRUKA-SENSEI!"

* * *

"We'll now start the final exam." Iruka announced to the class after the written exam was over. "When your name is called, proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on-"

Naruto crossed his fingers behind his back.  _'Please be Transformation Jutsu! Even Substitution Jutsu would do!'_

"-The Clone Jutsu!" Iruka said after he glanced into his clipboard.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto wailed as he thumped his head on the table, a dark and gloomy aura surrounding him.  _'That's my worst technique!_ ' He whimpered as he clutched his head and thought  _'Great, I'm never gonna pass!'_

In his panic, he never noticed the concerned glances thrown his way by his two other friends.

* * *

"Where is he?!" Sakura growled as she tapped her foot against the ground impatiently. Her Leaf Headband was worn over her forehead, over which she wore her orange goggles. She was waiting for Naruto to come out of the Academy, so they could celebrate their Graduation, but apparently, he hasn't come yet. "He's late!" She snapped and glared at the innocent passerby's, who quickly scurried away feeling the little Killing Intent she was emitting.

Hinata, who was sitting under the tree, said nervously "A-Ano, d-didn't you hear? H-He didn't pass."

Sakura's eyes bugged out of her sockets as she snapped her head towards Hinata "WHAT?"

Hinata nodded and said sadly "Poor Naruto." Her pale, lilac eyes were filled with sadness and un-shed tears.

Sakura's eyes fell on the ground, and her expression turned blank. Both Hinata and Sakura knew how much Naruto had wanted to pass this time. He had failed the Graduation exam twice, and had worked so hard with them so that he could pass this time with his friends. It must've been a huge blow to him that he didn't pass. She wished she could do something for him.

_But what?_

**'Well, the least we can do is to find him and comfort him for failing the exam thrice.'**  Inner suggested to her.

She nodded and turned to Hinata and said softly "Come on, let's find him."

Hinata stared up at Sakura, bewildered "W-What?"

Sakura gave her a sad smile and said "Well, we can't leave him alone in his tough times, can we? After all, we're his friends."

Hinata stared at her for a moment, and then she gave her a tentative smile. "Right." She said softly as she stood up and brushed the dirt off her pants.

"Let's go."

* * *

Hinata shifted uneasily and she glanced at Sakura, who was now almost dozing off. They both had decided to go to Naruto's Apartment, thinking that he'd be here, but  _surprise, surprise_ , he wasn't here. They decided to wait for him, considering that he ought to come back to his dingy Apartment sooner or later. But it seems like it'd be later, considering that he hasn't returned yet, and it was nearing mid-night. Hinata knew she'd get a scolding from her Father if she returned to her home Late, but she wanted to at least talk to Naruto before returning back home.

Hinata yawned for the fifteenth time that night, and was about to nod off too, when the door of the Apartment opened. Hinata rubbed her eyes so as to stay somewhat awake and she shook Sakura awake too. Sakura yawned and stretched her arms, and moved her stiff neck a bit.  _Damn_ , sleeping on a chair was so uncomfortable. She'd never doze off on a chair ever again.

Hinata stood up and turned on the light as soon as footsteps echoed in the little Apartment. Naruto turned round the corner as was met with the sight of his two best-friends sitting on his chairs in his dining room.

"Yo." Sakura said lazily as she held up her hand in greeting, while Hinata's face turned red as she stuttered out a "Hi."

Naruto blinked in confusion and said "What are you guys doing here?"

Sakura said "We were waiting for here to talk to you, and that reminds me," She then scowled as she stormed towards Naruto, and Naruto squeaked as he stepped back, seeing the angry look on her face. Sakura's chakra laced fist met with Naruto's head, making him fly across the room and crash into the wall, creating a Naruto sized hole in it. "WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN, YOU BASTARD? WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU SINCE THIS AFTERNOON!" Sakura roared in anger.

"S-Sakura!" Hinata squeaked out and rushed towards Sakura, and held her tightly so as she cannot do more harm to her crush.

"DON'T STOP ME HINATA! I WANT TO BEAT HIM TO A PULP!" Sakura yelled in anger as she struggled against Hinata's hold, but to no avail. Damn, for such a fragile girl, Hinata sure had a tight grip.

"N-No, Sakura." Hinata said as she shook her head, and then pointed at something shiny that hung on Naruto's forehead. "Look!"

"Huh?" Sakura said dumbly as she squinted her eyes to look at the thing on Naruto's forehead, only to freeze in surprise when she realized that it was the Leaf headband.

**'Where the hell did he get that? Did he steal it from someone or something?'**

_'How would I know that?'_ Sakura answered exasperatedly.

**'Then ask him Dammit! I'm dying of curiosity here!'**  Inner said as he threw a tantrum.

_'So mature of you._ ' Sakura said dryly.

**'Shut up.'**  He grumbled at her.

Seeing that Sakura will no longer assault her crush, Hinata quietly released her from her hold. Sakura quickly tiptoed towards Naruto and peeled him from the wall, where a Naruto sized Crater was dented in the wall, and Hinata sweat dropped at her actions.

Naruto groaned as he massaged his head, muttering about "Stupid pink haired monsters with super-strength."

"What did you say?" Sakura glowered darkly as she cracked her knuckles sadistically.

Naruto froze as he gulped in fear and sweat dripped at the back of his neck. He stuttered "A-ah S-Sakura I-I m-m-meant y-your m-mo-monster strength n-not you."

"DIE!" Sakura snarled as she pounced on him, and a scream of terror rang around Konoha.

Poor Hinata was too late to save her crush from getting bruised by Sakura's fists.

* * *

"C-Congratulations on b-b-becoming a G-Genin, Naruto."  ***blushes a deep red***

"Thank you, Hinata!"  ***says cheerfully while cradling the bump on his forehead.***

"That's not the point Hinata!"  ***says angrily***  "He stole the forbidden scroll!"

"It's not that much of a big deal, Sakura!"  ***whines***

"No, it is, you dumb-ass!"  ***hisses angrily, and hits him over the head, making him yelp in pain***  "Who thought you'd be dumb enough to steal the Forbidden scroll from the Hokage's Archives!"

"But everything did end out well in the end."  ***says as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.***

"You're an idiot."  ***face-palms*** "I still can't believe the Hokage let you go like that even after you stole the Forbidden Scroll, and even made you a Gennin."

***cheers***  "I'm just awesome like that."

***mutters with an eye roll*"** You're sorely mistaken."

"HEY!"

"I-I a-agree w-with S-S-Sakura."

"NOT YOU TOO, HINATA!"

* * *

"Oh Kami, Iruka Sensei's Gonna kill me today!" Sakura said as she panted while she rushed to the Academy. You see, she had woken up early today so as not to be late on the day of her Team Placements, but on the way she got sight of Old Lady Natsumi carrying groceries, and she didn't have it in her heart to not help the struggling old Lady, and then she helped a little girl who had been crying because she was lost, and then she carried Old man Mamoru to his house because his feet were hurting him, and now she was late,  _like a lot_. She swore she even saw Hinata with her new Team and her Sensei. She wouldn't be surprised if her Sensei and her team had went on without her, considering that she had missed her Team Placements, and it was highly likely that the Academy would be deserted by now.

So, imagine her surprise when she barged into her class, muttering out an apology and an excuse for being late, and found Naruto and Sasuke – _of all the people!_ \- sitting in the class.

Well, that was before the eraser hit her in the head.

Her shoulders tensed, as she glanced down at the eraser which had fallen from above. Someone had set up the eraser over the door in such a way that it fell on the person who opened the door and stepped in.

She clenched her fists as her face turned red in anger, and she stared at the culprit. She first glanced at Sasuke, who was snickering at her expense, but he immediately shut up and paled when she gave him a death glare. She then shifted her eyes towards Naruto, who looked as if he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Laugh, because his prank worked – _Take that you smug Uchiha!_ \- but cry, because it was  _Sakura_ , on whom his prank was unintentionally unleashed.

Oh he was so  _dead_.

Realising that it can only be Naruto who could've planned such a silly prank, she gave him a sickly sweet smile as she pulled out a kunai from her pocket and twirled it between her fingers non-chalantly, but Naruto gulped as he recognized the stabbing patterns in which she twirled the kunai.

He was really  _doomed_.

"Naruto," she said in a saccharine sweet voice, though her darkened emerald eyes scared him a lot, "I know you know that I like pranks, but  _not_  when they're pulled on  _me_."

"You're so dead, idiot." Sasuke muttered under his breath, but loud enough for the two of them to head.

_'So Inner, any plans on how to make Naruto's life a living hell?'_

However, Inner didn't answer her question. Usually, he'd start ranting about various ways how to maim someone, but right now, he was unusually silent and tense. Something was definitely wrong.

_'Inner?'_  she asked in concern. ' _What's wrong?'_

"How can I put this? Hmm…." A gruff, lazy voice said from behind her, startling her. Why the heck does this voice sound so distantly familiar, yet different?

Startled, she whirled around and jumped away into the class, stepping away from the weird man standing before her. The man looked in his late twenties, and had gravity defying grey hair, and a mask covering the lower half of his face up to his nose. His Leaf Headband was tilted over his left eye, and his right eye was black in color. He wore typical Jonin uniform, and his posture was lazy, but she had a feeling it was all an act.

And would anyone explain to her why the hell was she seeing an image of a stiff and formal teenager version of this person, having his mask, but both his eyes were visible?

She shook her head to shake away the image forming in her mind. No time to waste on the weird things her brain conjures up sometimes. Besides, maybe she should focus on what was this person was saying instead of thinking of things that even she didn't understand.

The silver haired man gave them a closed-eye smile and said cheerfully "My first impression of this group," there was a dramatic pause as the three gennins stared at this man, who must be their new Sensei "You're a bunch of idiots."

The three of them face palmed at his words.

Sakura didn't understand what was wrong with her Inner. Her Inner was a great sensor. If this man was standing just behind her, why the heck her Inner didn't warn her? Why was he silent all this time?

And now to think of it, where were funny remarks, and rude comments about Sakura's lack of awareness for getting pranked by her orange menace of a best-friend? By now her Inner would've been roaring in laughter, instead, he was as silent as a teaspoon.

Seems like Inner doesn't like this new person.

Well, if Inner doesn't like him, then she won't waste her time on her new Sensei, either. If Inner doesn't like someone, it must be for some good reason, considering the fact that inner was a really good judge of character and he usually likes everyone.

So yes, she didn't regret when she retorted to her new Sensei "The feelings are mutual, Sensei."

* * *

The Ninja Academy was a multi-floor building that also included the Mission-assigning room, the Hokage's Office, and there were many rumors that even the ANBU headquarters was somewhere in the building, though no one really knew if it was true or not, considering the fact that the ANBU headquarters'location was kept a secret from the civilians and even the Ninja polulation of the leaf, for various reasons.

On the room of the multi-floor building was a garden filled with trees and flowers of various kinds. It was in this tree- garden that our newly formed Team Seven was sitting along with their new Sensei.

Kakashi Hatake roamed his eyes over the three Gennins with a nostalgic look. The stiff and formal way in which the Last Uchiha sat, as well as the cold expression on his face reminded him of himself when he has been of that age, well before  _that_ incident happened. His eyes fell on the blonde boy sitting at the farther right, sitting casually, with no care in the world. He looked so much like Minato-Sensei that it hurts to even look at him. The air of non-chalance around him reminded him of Obito.

He didn't even spare the third member of this team a glance. He had fleetingly heard that she was a medic, hence she was bound to resemble Rin. He didn't want to look at her and be reminded of the fact that he had been the one to kill Rin, with his own hands.

_Kakashi's chidori had pierced through Rins chest, as she stared at him with wide eyes and then coughed up blood-_

He shook his head to shake away the image that always appeared in his nightmares. He then focused on the Gennins sitting in front of him and said "Why don't you introduce yourselves? Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies, things like that." He then shrugged non-chalantly.

"Why don't you tell us about you first?" Naruto suggested, and Sakura nodded at his suggestion while Sasuke just Hn'ed.

The silver haired Jonin stared at them lazily and drawled out "Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate-" he tapped his chin, as if contemplating what to say, and then said cheerfully "I don't feel like telling you that."

The three Gennins sweat dropped

"My Dreams for the future" He paused and then said in his annoyingly cheerful tone "-never really thought about it. As for my hobbies," He said ' _oh-so-helpfully'_  "I have lots of hobbies."

**'Baka.'**  Her inner snorted in amusement, making Sakura's lips twitch upwards. Her inner would be fine, if his usual attitude was anything to go by.

"That was totally useless." Sasuke snorted.

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. "All he really told us was his name!"

The silver haired Jonin then turned to Naruto and said "Okay, your turn."

Naruto beamed as he introduced himself, "Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka Sensei got me at the Ichiraku noodle shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them."

By the time he finished his Ramen rant, Sakura was already dozing off, snoring loudly, while Sasuke contemplated whether or not to wake her up, since she was drooling on his shorts.

Thankfully, Naruto solved his problem.

"HEY!" Naruto yelled, offended, when he realized that his best friend fell asleep while he had been telling everyone how awesome Ramen is! He shook her awake, all the while yelling "You aren't allowed to sleep during my introduction!"

Sakura yawned and said sleepily "then say about something other than Ramen. I'm fed up with your Ramen Rants."

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?! RAMEN IS THE FOOD OF GODS! IT IS-"

Before he could continue with his Ramen rant, the Jonin cut him off "And what's your dream?"

Naruto immediately shifted his attention towards their new Sensei and smiled brightly at him as he said "My future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will start respecting me and start treating me like somebody, somebody important!"

Sakura stared at Naruto with wide eyes  _'Wow, so I have a rival for Hokage's seat?'_

**'That makes things quite interesting, doesn't it?'**  Her Inner said with amusement.

Kakashi sighed and then glanced at Sasuke and said "Alright, you next."

Sasuke folded his arms and said "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything."

"Yeah, like that explains a lot." Sakura said with an eye roll, while Naruto snickered at that. Sasuke just glared at them, which the both of them returned whole-heartedly.

_'Oh boy,_ ' Kakashi thought _, 'it's gonna take a lot of work to make this team even functional.'_

Sasuke looked away from them and continued "What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I am going to restore my clan and destroy a certain someone."

_"I'm gonna restore my clan and destroy a certain someone."_  Sakura mimicked him in a high pitched tone as she made weird faces, and Naruto couldn't help but roll on the ground in laughter.

Sasuke just blushed in embarrassment and death glared Sakura who just snickered along with Naruto.

Kakashi sighed, and for the first time that day, he looked at Sakura and paused when he noticed her attire, as well as the Orange Goggles that rested on her forehead above her Leaf Headband. She was wearing a red undershirt, over which she wore dark blue Jacket, and red shorts. She attached a small pocket to her left leg, and wore long blue socks and Blue Ninja sandals to complete the attire. If he ignored the pink hair and green eyes – _as well as the fact that she's a girl_ \- he realized that she looked like Obito.

"Oh, it's my turn now." Sakura said excitedly as she smiled. "Hi, my name is Sakura Haruno. I love candies, especially the Multi-flavoured candies that Granny buys especially for me." Her eyes had a dreamy look as she said this, making the three men sweat drop.  _Well, someone was obsessed with candies._  "I like Dango, Ramen, training with Granny Sayuri, pranking people, helping out elderly people and my best friends Hinata and Naruto. I don't hate anyone or anything ,  _per se_ , but I do dislike beetroot, Hinata's cousin Neji – _because that bastard always acts so high and mighty_ , people who treat Naruto badly for god knows why," at this, Naruto glanced away from her with a pained look in his eyes, " –and those people who think Ninjas as tools. My hobbies are training, and pranking, I guess." She said with a shrug.

She then glanced at the Hokage Mountain, and stared at the four carved faces of the Hokage and said with a bright smile and a soft voice "And my dream is to be a Hokage who doesn't force their people to take missions they don't like, as well as to bring peace to this world."

He stared at her dumbly, and for a moment, he saw his former teammate Obito, instead of the pink haired girl sitting before him. It was, as if, Obito himself has come back from death, to torture him. However, the moment was ruined by Naruto himself.

"WHAAAAAAT?!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed at Sakura and yelled "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE?!"

A twitch appeared over her forehead and she said "I would've if you had ever stopped to listen to others instead of ranting about Ramen."

"THAT IS NOT TRUE!"

A vein throbbed over her forehead, and she tried her best not to punch the blonde senseless.

Their new Sensei cleared is throat so as to grab their attention and said "You're each unique and you have your own ideas." He then paused and said "We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

That definitely got him their attention.

"What kind of mission are we going to have?" Naruto asked eagerly, and even the other two looked at him expectantly, and with various degrees of enthusiasm.

He inwardly chuckled, imagining the looks on their faces when he tells them about the Survival exercise.

"A survival exercise." Kakashi answered.

"WHAT?" They asked dumbly.

* * *

***mimicks Kakashi's voice** ** _*_** _"Tomorrow you better skip breakfast or else you'll puke."_   ***scoffs indignantly***  "How does he expect us to do the test with empty stomach?"

"I think it's better than puking."  ***mutters dejectedly***

"Hn."

"Ugh, I hate our new Sensei."  ***scowls.***

"Well, who cares? Just don't be late tomorrow Sakura, or he'll fail us too! Believe it **!"*exclaims in a loud tone***

"….."

***grumbles***  "Ugh, stop glaring at me Sasuke. Fine! I'll try my best to come on time tomorrow."

* * *

_The Next Day….._

* * *

_At 5 A.M._

Naruto yawned as he trudged sleepily towards training ground Seven, trying his best not to fall asleep. When he reached the designed spot, he saw Sasuke leaning against the tree, standing in all his Uchiha glory. Naruto looked around and asked out loud "Where's Sakura?"

Sasuke shrugged. Naruto sat down under a tree and leaned against it, and wondered "Do you think she'll come on time?"

Sasuke snorted and said "I highly doubt it."

_At 6 A.M._

Sasuke and Naruto waited for their teammate and their Sensei to come, all the while fighting the drowsiness.

_At 7 A.M._

Both of them fell asleep leaning against each other.

_At 8 A.M._

.

.

.

_9 A.M._

.

.

.

_10 A.M._

"Sorry I'm Late! I got up late and then on my way here I was helping Old Man Kazuo to open his Bookstore and lost track of time." Sakura apologized as soon as she rushed into the Training Ground No. Seven, but blinked in surprise when she found both of them sleeping against each other under the shade of a tree.

_'Aw….. so cute!_ ' she fangirled at the sight before her, making her Inner snort.

**'You're such a weirdo.'**

_'I'm Not!'_

**'Are too!'**

_'Am not!'_

**'Are to-'**

_'SHUT UP!'_  She roared as she scowled and walked towards her teammates to wake them up. She took a deep breath, and yelled in a loud tone "RAMEN!"

"WHERE? WHERE?" Naruto immediately jumped, awake, as he glanced to and fro, looking for ramen. Sasuke, who had been leaning against the blonde menace, fell on the ground over his back, and woke up with a hiss.

"Where's the ramen, Sakura?" Naruto asked Sakura with a puppy dog look.

Sakura just sweat dropped at his antics, while Sasuke glared at him.

Before Naruto could say anything more, a poof of smoke later, their new Sensei appeared before them. He held up his hand lazily as he said "Yo! Morning everyone."

Sakura glared at their new Sensei and pointed her finger at him and said accusingly "YOU'RE LATE!"

Sasuke snorted and muttered, "Look here, the pot's calling the kettle black."

He wisely shut up when Sakura glared at him, while Naruto snickered.

The silver haired Jonin scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said "Well a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way."

The three Gennins stared at him incredulously. Naruto muttered "That excuse is even worse than Sakura's."

Their Jonin Sensei then cleared his throat and clapped his hands cheerfully "Well then, Let's get started."

The Jonin unsealed an alarm clock from a scroll and placed it on one of the three wooden stumps in the training ground and said "Here we go, it's set for noon." He then pulled out two bells from his pocket and explained to the three Gennins "Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it. If you can't get it by noon, you go without lunch."

At that very moment, their stomachs grumbled, making the three of them blush in embarrassment.

The Jonin then smirked sadistically and said "And you'll be tied to those posts and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you."

The three of them glared at him.

**'Aren't you going to ask him why there are only two bells instead of three?'**  Her inner asked in amusement, making her wonder  _what was so darn funny?_

"Wait a minute! There's three of us, how come there's two bells?" Sakura asked as she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

Their Sensei gave them gave them a closed eye smile and said cheerfully "Well that way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission." He jingled the bells and said in his god awful cheerful tone "And that one goes back to the academy." He then paused and muttered loud enough for them to hear. "Then again, all three of you could flog out too." The three Gennins glowered at him. He ignored them and continued "You can use any weapons, including shuriken, if you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bell."

"So, you mean that-" Sakura paused as she realized what he meant to say "- at the end of this exercise, one of us would definitely be sent back to the Academy?"

"That's right." He said cheerfully.

Sasuke and Naruto tensed at that. None of them wanted to go back to the Academy.

Sakura clenched her fists and said "Well then, there's no need for this test then." The three males stared at her, as she looked up and said "Because I agree to go back to the Academy."

"….What?" Kakashi asked dumbly. He hadn't expected that to happen.

"Well, since at the end of this test one of us is going to sent back to the Academy anyways, why not I make your decision simpler and butt out of your way so these two get to become a Gennin?" Sakura said with a smile.

"B-But why, Sakura?" Naruto asked, in confusion, not understanding why she was refusing to even do the test, and giving up before even participating. "You said you wanted to be Hokage, so why….?"

Sakura turned to stare at him, and then rolled her eyes and said "The Hokage's post isn't going anywhere, Naruto. Sometime in the near future, I know that I'll be Hokage, no matter what." She then smiled warmly at him and said "It doesn't matter if I become Gennin now, or the next year, what matters is that none of you two are sent back to the Academy. You two are my friends, if anyone of you is sent back to the Academy because of me, I'd feel like I've abandoned you." She then turned around to walk away, but paused when she heard her new Sensei say.

Kakashi, to gain some semblance of sanity –b _ecause hell, his mind was shattering, her words were so close to what Obito used to believe, and that stunned him_ \- and muttered without thinking "So you're going to abandon your mission? You're going to break rules? What kind of Ninja are you?"

Sakura turned her head a bit, and Kakashi's eye widened when sunlight beamed reflected from the Orange goggles residing over her forehead. She then glared at him – _and his breathing was knocked out because she looked sososososososo much like Obito at that moment_ \- but paused as she turned a bit and said, her voice having a hoarser tint to it "Sensei,  _ **I believe that in the Ninja World, those who Break Rules are scum-"**_

Oh kami, he was having a heart attack now. There's no way she is-

_**"- but those who abandon their friends are even worse than scum."**_  Her eyes turned sad, and glazed over, as if she was remembering something.  _ **"I'm scum anyway, so I will choose to break the rules. If doing that somehow makes me less of a true Shinobi, then I'll just go and crush all the real shinobi."**_

_…Obito?_

Naruto and Sasuke shared a glanced, an unreadable look passed between them. Sighing they both turned and walked towards Sakura.

"W-Where?"  _Snap out of it, Kakashi!_  He cleared his throat and stuttered out "Where are you two going?"

"We refuse to be on a team without Sakura." Sasuke muttered as he placed his hands in his pockets and glanced away.

"That's right!" Naruto exclaimed. "We're with Sakura in this! There's no way we both want to be in a team with each other, especially if Sakura isn't there with us! Believe it!"

"That's why, you can go to hell for all we care. We can wait a year to be on a team together, and complete our dreams. We don't need you to be our Jonin Sensei." Sasuke said coldly.

"yeah! You're Lame anyways!" Naruto said loudly as he made a face.

Kakashi stared at the three of them, having a déjà vu moment. It was like his former team was back with him. And all it took to remind him of his former team was a certain pink haired girl.

He stared at her, dumbfounded. He wondered if this girl was his former teammate, reincarnated?

He then shook his head, scolding himself for having such a ridiculous thought. That's stupid. Such things never happen in real life.

Besides, it's just a coincidence.

_A Big Coincidence, at that…_

He blinked out of his stupor and saw the three of them walk away from him. "Wait!" He called out to them, and they halted and turned to him. He gave them a closed eye smile and said "You pass!"

_Cue a two minute silence._

Finally after sometime, Naruto whispered to his two friends "Uh, did we broke him or something?"

Sasuke shrugged and said "Who knows?"

"Maybe I should call an Ambulance." Sakura wondered.

Kakashi gave them an offended look and said "I said, you pass!"

"How?" Sakura said dryly. "I thought we made it clear that we forfeited."

He smiled at them – _though it was hidden by his mask_ \- and said "The lesson behind this survival Exercise was  _Teamwork._ "

"But there were only two bells…." Realisation dawned on Sakura as she stared at the two bells in his hand, "So you were purposely trying to pit us against one another." She scowled and said "Che, he's such a jerk."

Naruto yelled "See? I told you! He's such a Lame Sensei!"

Sasuke glared at him and folded his arms.

Kakashi said in a cheerful tone. "Congratulations! You're the first squad that ever succeeded." He then stared at them and said in a serious tone "The others did exactly what I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves." he glanced up at the sky and said "A ninja must see through deception and look underneath the underneath."

The three of them stared at him dumbly.

"You know," Naruto muttered, "he's kinda cool."

"Yup." Sakura said, and even sasuke couldn't help but agree.

"But he's still a Lame Sensei." Naruto said as he turned around and walked away followed by Sakura and Sasuke, making Kakashi sweat drop.

"Come on Guys! Let's go to my house! Granny told me she'd cook a special Dinner for us if we passed the Jonin sensei's test!" Sakura said.

"really? That's awesome! I love Granny Sayuri's food! Her cooking is great!" Naruto exclaimed and then turned to Sasuke and said "you're gonna love her food. She makes really good Fish-curry!"

"I'm not coming." Sasuke said coldly as he turned to walk away from them.

"My Granny said she'd make Tomato Salad and Tomato soup as well for the Dinner." Sakura said non-chalantly.

Sasuke halted and then turned one-eighty degree and walked along with them. "I guess I can tag along for a while." He ignored how Sakura smirked smugly, and how Naruto snickered.

"Oh," Sakura paused, when she remembered that their sensei wasn't following them. She then turned around and said loudly "You are invited too, Sensei!"

"I think I'll pass." Kakashi said as he waved them good-bye.

Sakura shrugged and walked out with her teammates.

Kakashi smiled as he watched them walk away with a nostalgic look.

A Loudmouth guy, a lonesome boy and a kunoichi with medical skills.

_Team Seven is Back._


	8. Pyromaniac.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura is a closet pyromaniac, and Sasuke and Naruto aren't too happy about it. Kakashi is being a sadistic bastard, as usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .............Sorry. couldn't resist. Watched Sasuke vs Deidara in one of the Naruto Shippudden episodes, and thought- why the heck not?

_**WAVES ARC** _

* * *

It hadn't even been two days since Team Seven passed the bell test, and they were already banned from taking  _normal_  D- ranked missions.

Now you must be thinking "What the heck did they do in just two days' time?" The thing is my dearest readers, they did something so abnormal, that the Hokage had to ban them from ever performing any normal D-ranked missions, and also classified that information to be S- ranked. It wasn't classed S ranked because of it's secrecy, or the vitality of the information or something like that, but because of the fact that it was so humiliating that if this information ever leaked out, the Leaf Village would be the butt of many jokes in the near future.  _Hence the need for secrecy._

As the Hokage Archives say, and I quote it to be  **'the fireworks incident'**  that shook the Hidden Leaf Village to the core. Though one thing did come out good due to this incident-  _Konoha got proof of the fact that they have a pyromaniac Seals-Mistress in their service._  Which may – _or may not_ \- be a good thing.

The  _normal_ D ranked missions mostly included daily chores and such things, while the  _abnormal_  D ranked missions were the missions that were given as a  _'punishment'_  to those Gennin Teams who did something reckless. They usually included tasks that were considering hazardous and mind-scarring even by high ranked Jonnins. Such missions weren't usually assigned to any teams, however, if a Team acted out of line, the Hokage had to use such underhand tactics.

Since Team Seven had been banned from taking normal D-ranked missions, they were assigned abnormal D-ranked Missions that included filing up Paperwork in the Hokage Archives – _and if they 'accidently' put something on fire, they had to suffer the wrath of the Hokage's secretary, and damn is she a scary woman_ -; surveying the Forest of Death – _and suffer that insane Anko's idiotic jokes as well as 'training', Kakashi, you're so NOT cool!_ -; help out in the Leaf's Bombs Division – _and get nabbed by the elderly Ninjas there about her being insignificant than them coz of her age_ -; assist members of T&I – _who really enjoyed having them around, considering the fact that they loved mind-fucking them, Kami how they thought wishfully to never step in that building ever in the future_ ; and the worst job of all- cleaning up every room in the ANBU headquarters, as well as their weapons room and all their weapons – _and Kami, once Naruto accidentally broke an ANBU mask, and the three of them had to run for their lives as the ANBU members decided that they needed to practice their aim on moving targets, aka them._

Well, at least now they knew where the ANBU headquarters were.

Bad thing, well, it hasn't even been a week, and the three of them were seriously considering to quit being a Ninja – _but then they'd remember their goals, and had to suck it up and get on with their_ _hazardous_ _missions._

Needless to say, becoming Gennins was not faring Team Seven very well.

Can they return back to the Academy?  _Please?_

_Pretty Please? With cherry on top?_

* * *

"Hey Sasuke, I was wondering….."

"Don't!" Sasuke said as he paled, and inched away from her, "Please stop thinking Sakura, it's hazardous for us."

Sakura gave him an offended look and folded her arms "I'm offended." She stated.

"You should be!" Naruto said with a groan, massaging his stiff neck as they sat in Training Ground Seven, and were waiting for their Sensei to arrive. Kami, the day hasn't even started yet, and he was already feeling weary. Maybe that's because of all the dangerous missions he had been doing for the last five days.

"What I won't give to have normal Missions like - Catching demon cats, Pulling out weeds, Babysitting brats, Repairing Roofs, Cleaning Windows, Walking Inuzuka Dogs, Painting Fences." Sasuke said as rubbed his temple, "But thanks to you, I'm stuck doing missions that shouldn't even be given to any Gennins, heck even Jonnins aren't given such jobs!" He said as he glared at her.

"One time," She sighed exasperatedly, "One time I make a mistake and it's like the whole world is against me!"

"Mistake?" Naruto said in a mocking tone. "You left your explosion seals around a  _fucking_  three year old toddler, whom we were supposed to babysit! How the hell is that a mistake?! It's a health hazard!" Naruto hissed.

"Come on guys!" Sakura argued back as she threw up her hands in exasperation "How was I supposed to know that baby would activate the seals? I thought babies don't have access to their chakra!"

"Well, prodigy children do." Sasuke retorted.

"Civilian children are rarely prodigies," Sakura grumbled, and then quickly added as an after-thought "Unless they're the Fourth Hokage, of Course."

"Whatever." Naruto rolled his eyes as he stretched his arms, hearing a satisfying pop from them. "The point is, we aren't interested in whatever you say."

"Even if it is a way to get out of the missions?" She tempted them.

Sasuke and Naruto both exchanged a look and then said in unison "No." She deflated at that.

"The last time we agreed with you, you managed to create a bomb that could've detonated almost one-fourth of Konoha. So, no. Just  _no._ " Naruto said he shook his head.

Sasuke muttered "Hn."

Sakura pouted as she sulked in a corner, muttering "I hate you two."

At that very moment, Kakashi poofed in front of them and greeted them cheerfully "Yo."

"You're Late!" Naruto yelled at him.

"Sorry," he said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I got lost on the road of life."

Naruto and Sakura stared at him incredulously, while Sasuke scoffed.

"Why do you even bother hearing his excuses? It's always something stupid." He muttered under his breath.

Kakashi sweat dropped at his words. "Anyway," he cleared his throat and said in a cheerful tone "I have the mission that's assigned for you today. You're in luck today. You have to help out in T & I department," He read into the scroll, and said in his  _'oh-so-cheerful'_ tone "and work under  _Ibiki Morino_. Well, isn't that nice?" He gave them a closed eye smile.

The three Gennin's face paled as their eyes widened in horror. Ibiki Morino? He is the Head of the ANBU's Torture and Interrogation Corps, and a sadist of No. 1 order. Kakashi has a death wish for them, doesn't he?

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look. It was like they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. Ibiki? Or Sakura?

_Well, do they even have to answer that question?_

They both turned towards their pink haired teammate, and whispered in a low tone so that only she could hear. "Save us!" they pleaded.

Sakura stared at the both of them for a second, and then beamed. She turned towards Kakashi and said "Actually Sensei, we have plans for today."

"we have?" Naruto asked in confusion, but yelped when Sasuke slammed his leg over his foot and glared at him. "Er, right we do. Yeah, I remember it now, believe it." He said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Like what?" Kakashi asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"A three way training."

"…What?" The three males of the Team Seven asked dumbly.

Sakura rolled her eyes and said "Each one of the three of us will teach the other two members something."

Kakashi shrugged and said "Well, if you are fed up with your training, you can always work on your missions. I'm sure Ibiki would  _love_  to have you guys over to help him."

Kakashi suppressed a chuckle when he saw that the three of them turned white, as if they've seen a ghost. May be he should call off their punishment regime? After all, haven't they suffered enough?

Looking at the three of them as they shared a look, he immediately dismissed the idea. Nah, it's  _fun_  to torture them. Besides, it's working wonders for their teamwork.

He was sure, that by the end of this punishment regime, Team Seven would be the best Team Konoha has has to offer.

"Alright then, Train hard." Kakashi said cheerfully as he disappeared with a puff of smoke.

When Sasuke and Naruto gave her looks like that of a lost puppy, she couldn't help but look heavenward, as if asking  _'why was I stuck with such idiotic teammates?_ '

**'I say it's Bad karma.'**  Inner piped in.

_'Shut up.'_

she turned towards Sasuke and said "I was wondering if you'd teach me the Grand Fireball Justsu?"

"No." He said immediately. "You're already an obsessive pyromaniac, why would I even  _want_  to teach you a Fire Jutsu?"

She scratched the back of her head and said "Er, I'll teach you some Medical Techniques in return?"

He snorted and said "Who'd want to learn your puny ass Medic-nin techniques."

A dark aura fell over Sakura, and she cracked her knuckles.  _And did the Earth just crack under her feet?_  Sasuke gulped in fear – _though he'd never ever admit it_ \- when Sakura said in a saccharine sweet voice  _"What did you say?"_

"Nothing." Sasuke did  _not_ squeak out at that moment. No, he didn't. ….Dammit, will you just stop laughing at him?

Immediately, the dark aura disappeared from her, and he took a sigh of relief. She then turned towards Naruto and said "I want you to teach me Shadow Clone Jutsu, and in return, I'll teach you Brother Shisui's  _Body flicker_ Teachnique."

Naruto cheered, while Sasuke gaped at her "How come you teach that idiot a C ranked Jutsu while you teach me puny medic techniques? How do you even know that technique anyways?"

"because," she gave him a look that said  _'Isn't it obvious?'_  "Naruto can be fast on his feet when he wants to. I'm sure he'll get down the Body Flicker Technique in no time. Besides, I believe knowing some Medical Jutsus would be better for you." She then glanced up at the sky with a melancholy look and said "And to answer your second question, Brother Shisui had been teaching me the Body Flicker technique before he died. Though I mastered it after his Death."

And just like that, their moods turned sour.

Sasuke cursed her under his breath for his tactless question, but not too loudly.

"So, so," Naruto asked eagerly, breaking through the melancholic atmosphere, making his other two teammates relax. "What will I get to teach to Sasuke?"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu." Sasuke replied almost immediately. When both of his teammates stared at him, he just gave a nonchalant shrug. "What? I just wanted to know what's so special about that Jutsu that our Pink haired menace wanted to learn it so badly."

"What did you just call me?" Sakura said darkly as she glared at Sasuke.

Both the boys whimpered in fear, though Sasuke would die before admitting such a thing.  _What?_  You have to admit though, Sakura can be scary at times.

Sasuke cleared his throat as he tried to divert the conversation "Anyway, I figured that I'd teach you how to break a Genjutsu in exchange for learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"WHAT?" Naruto whined. "I don't wanna learn something stupid."

"it's not stupid." Sakura scolded him. "I think it's a great idea. Naruto, you can't breakout of even an E ranked genjutsu for crying out loud! If any enemy Ninja uses a genjutsu on you, you'd be so dead!"

"Ugh, fine!" Naruto said with a scowl.

"Good, then let's start training, before  _Bakakashi_  comes back and decides that spending our afternoon working under  _Ibiki Morino_  would be good for our Ninja career."

The three of them shivered in terror at that thought.

Kakashi was really a bastard, won't you agree?

* * *

_"Fire Style! Grand Fireball Jutsu!"_ ***blows out a fireball of a size of fist***

***stares incredulously*"** You call that a fireball?"

"…Shut up, Sasuke."

* * *

"So, how does your Shadow Clone Jutsu work?" *raises a pink eye-brow*

***scratches the back of his head sheepishly***  "Well, I don't know, I just make the hand sign of horse and then there's Poof, and BAM! And SLAM! And-"

"Which language is he talking in?"  ***asks incredulously***

"How'd I know?"

"You're his best friend! You must've crammed his  _'Uzumaki quirks'_  by now."

"… Sasuke, in the near future, please don't try to crack jokes. You're horrible at that."

***glares at her***  "Hn."

* * *

"…Are you trying to heal the fish or kill it?"

"Hn."

"Just so you know, I don't understand the 'Hn' language."

"Hn."

"Ugh! You're impossible!"

"Hn."

"Say that word one more time, and I swear I will castrate you!"

"…"

***smirks smugly***  "That's what I thought."

* * *

_-Kakashi Sensei stood In the middle of the clearing, wearing a clown's dress. His face was paintedwhite, and the mask was replaced by fake buck-teeth. He was wearing a clown's hat, and instead of his nose, there was a red tomato attached there. And he was dancing weirdly, and-_  Naruto couldn't help but roll in laughter.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"  ***Naruto rolls on the ground in laughter***

"Release!"

The scene changes, and Naruto finds himself back in the clearing, along with his two teammates.

***mutters***  "You were right Sakura. This idiot is really hopeless in breaking a Genjutsu."

"Told you so!"

"HEY!"

* * *

"Naruto! You can't rest now! You have only done twenty three laps around the Leaf Village. Twenty Seven are still remaining! If you want to learn the Body flicker Technique, you have to be faster!"

"Sakura, are you sure it's not another way to get me killed or something?"

"I know I'm a sadist, but not that much of a sadist to give you such an easy death."

"….I sometimes wonder who is worse, you or Ibiki."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

***squeaks***  "NOTHING!"

* * *

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"  ***both Sasuke and Sakura make two Shadow clones each, and pants with chakra exhaustion***

***snickers***  "….All you did was make only two of them. When the first time I did this Jutsu, I made hundreds of shadow Clones."

***glare***  "Shut up."

* * *

"…Let your chakra flow be precise and calm, and try to heal the tissues- no don't use too much chakra, you'll make the fish explode!- yeah, that's right! Keep the chakra flow steady. Now slowly will your chakra to patch up it's injured tissues."

***the injured fish flaps it's tail as it's healed***

***claps***  "Congratulations Sasuke! You've finally learned the Mystic Palm Technique!"

* * *

_"Fire Style! Grand Fireball Jutsu!"_

"…..now that looks more like a fireball."

***smiles brightly at her success***

* * *

"Okay Naruto, Try it once again. At the count of three…. One, Two, THREE!"

***runs around the ground in an Orange blur***  "So, how was it, Sakura?"  ***pants***

"…."

"Sakura?"

"…I think you broke her, idiot."

"EH?"

"You….. I think you made a new technique, Naruto. Something that is the bastardised version of the  _Body Flicker_."

"I made a new technique of my own? YAY!"  ***cheers loudly***

"Hn. What should we call it then?"

"What about the  _most-awesome-technique-created-by-Konoha's-Future-Orange-Hokage_? Huh? HUH?"

***shares a look and then says in unison***  "No."

***cries anime style***  "Sasuke, Sakura! You're so mean!"

"And you're an idiot."  ***deadpans***

"What about….  _Flash-Step_?"

***beams at him***  "Sasuke, you're a Genius!"

***grumbles***  "…..My name was way cooler than his."

"Not by a long shot." Both of them deadpan in unison.

* * *

"Aside from  _'the Fireworks Incident'_  two months ago, your Team has gotten quite good reviews from other Jonins, Kakashi." The third Hokage said as he puffed some smoke from his pipe. "If it had been any other Team, they'd have quit during the first three  _abnormal_  D ranked missions, but surprisingly, your team has been through fifteen of them and they still have such a strong bonding. You're a miracle worker, Kakashi."

Kakashi's chest swelled with pride as the Leader of Konoha praised his Leadership skills-  _though he had done nothing but be a sadistic bastard to them_ \- and then said "Thank you, lord Hokage."

"After being through those insane missions, I do believe your Team Seven has earned a C rank, don't you think?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a raised brow.

"Ah, of course, lord Hokage, but can you halt that for sometime? Because I do believe that a few more D ranked missions would be good for them." Kakashi said with a sadistic glint in his eyes.

Frankly, Hiruzen should be worried about the state of his Jonins' mind, but he just laughed it off. Of course, he knew that almost all of the Jonins working under him were crazy to some extent and had weird quirks and sadistic tendencies.

_However, who ever said that Ninjas were sane, after all?_

* * *

"Good, since your training has been quite fruitful, let's celebrate it by taking a D-ranked mission." Kakashi said in a cheerful tone as he appeared before his students one day.

The three Gennins cross their fingers behind their backs, and prayed to Kami  _'Please let it be a normal D-rank.'_

"Here's the scroll containing your new mission," Kakashi said as he pulled out a scroll, and opened it. He read it's contents and then gave them a cheerful smile. "Oh look here, Jonin  _Anko Mitrashi_  requested you three specifically for a survey in the Forest of death. Aren't you three  _lucky_?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The three of them wailed, already knowing that they were  _doomed_.

Maybe they should really quit being Ninjas.

* * *

After five more Abnormal D ranked Missions, Team Seven was fed up with them. They swore if Kakashi made them do another abnormal D-rank, they'd go crazy.

* * *

It was another crazy day in Team Seven's normally doomed life. They had just returned from a Mission in the ANBU Headquarters, where once again the ANBU members had decided to use them as a target practice. Their clothes were disheveled, and there were scrapes and minor wounds all over there body. Iruka and the other chunins sitting over the desk in the Mission assigning room glanced sympathetically at them, while the three Gennins were sprawled out on the floor – _looking dead to the world_ \- and Sakura tended to their injuries, all the while their sadist of a Sensei stood some distance away from them and read that perverted book of his.

"Now for Team Seven, we have several available tasks." The Third Hokage said as he glanced at the list of missions in his hands, "Among them is assisting the Intelligence Division with a Bunch of paperwork, clean the messenger birds Tower in the ANBU HQ, and-"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto wailed, startling the Third Hokage.

"By all respect, Lord Hokage, we would like to have a Mission that is not in the abnormal category. We'd be glad to do some normal D ranked mission." Sakura pleaded to him.

"Even an E ranked Mission would do." Sasuke muttered tiredly as he leaned against his pink haired teammate, trying his best to ignore his aching body.

Hiruzen couldn't help but laugh. "Very well then, after doing twenty two  _abnormal_  D ranked missions, I do believe you three can take on a C- ranked Mission."

_Cue a two minute silence._

"WHAT?" the three of them screamed in unison.

The Third Hokage laughed, along with several other chunnins and Jonins in the Mission Assigning Room. "Team Seven, you are being assigned a C ranked missions to be a body guard for someone."

"After doing insane missions for a while now, I don't believe at all that it'd be a Princess or something like that." Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Considering the fact that our luck hadn't been quite better these past months, I won't be surprised if we're stuck body-guarding a brat or someone equally annoying." Sakura muttered, while Sasuke Hn'ed in agreement.

Hiruzen chuckled as he said "Send in our visitor!"

The door on the side opened, revealing an old drunkard man, who looked like he couldn't even stand properly – _all thanks to all the alcohol in his system_. "What the….?" He slurred as his eyes skimmed over the three Gennins sprawling on the floor. "A bunch of little snot nosed kids?"

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto shared an exasperated look.

"…..Why am I not surprised?" Sasuke said wryly and the other two whole heartedly agreed.

The Old man took a sip from his sake bottle and then said to them as he leaned against the doorway, "And you, the little pink haired brat wearing Orange Goggles, you really expect me to believe you're a Ninja? Gimme a break!"

A twitch appeared over Sakura's forehead as she gave a battle cry and was about to attack the Old man, but was stopped by Kakashi who held him in a tight grip.

"Let me go, Sensei! I wanna beat him to a pulp and set his ass on fire! Maybe then he'll know if I'm a Ninja or not!"

**'Yeah! show him, Outer!'**  Inner cheered her on.

"Sakura, you can't kill the client! It doesn't work that way!" He then smirked sadistically and said "Besides, to you want to do more D ranked missions?"

"No!" The faces of the three Gennins paled, and Sakura immediately stopped thrashing in his arms. But she still glared at the old drunkard every once in a while.

The Old man took a sip from the bottle and introduced himself "I am Tazuna, a Master Bridge Builder, and I must return to my country." He then paused and added "I'm building a bridge there that'll change the world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your  _life_."

Sakura's expression darkened as she clenched her fists "I really wanna punch him senseless."

Sasuke and Naruto paled, knowing that Sakura usually gave in to her desires. If Sakura beat their client into a pulp, they'd surely be punished again with loads and loads of abnormal D ranked missions, and truthfully, None of them wanted to do more of those cursed missions.  _If only they could divert her mind somehow...?_

Suddenly, Sasuke got an idea. He said in a serious tone. "Sakura, can't you forgive his strange quirks? After all, Tazuna is an old man, old enough to be your Grandpa."

As soon as Sakura heard the word  _'Old man'_  her demeanor changed immediately. The scowl was replaced by a sweet smile on her face, and she skipped towards the Bridge Builder and said "Your old bones must be tired for walking from such a long distances, do you need me to carry you to your hotel?"

Tazuna stared at the weird pink haired girl and scowled "No."

Sakura grabbed his sake bottle and muttered "sake isn't good for your health. You shouldn't drink alcohol at such an old age."

"Oi! Who are you calling old? And hey- hey!- stop dragging me, Dammit!"

"Let me carry you to your hotel!"

"I never said I need your help to walk, did I?"

Naruto stared as Sasuke in awe as the Uchiha smirked and said "Works like a charm every time."

* * *

"This is so awesome! We finally get to have a normal mission!" Sakura gushed as she walked outside the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"I know what you mean!" Naruto said eagerly as he glanced around everything in awe, as if he had never been outside the Leaf Village before – _which, he didn't._  "Besides, this is the first time I've ever stepped out of the Village!" He gushed excitedly "I'm a traveler now, believe it!"

"Two questions," Sasuke stated, making his other two teammates look back at him, "What are you two high on, and where can I get it?" He smirked as he said that.

Tazuna stared at their antics and face palmed "Am I supposed to trust my life these runts? They're a joke!"

A twitch appeared over Sasuke and Naruto's forehead, and they had a hard time calming themselves down. Our dearest Sakura, however, just had to remind herself that Tazuna was a very old man, and old people are usually grumpy,  _right?_

Sakura patted her teammates' arm comfortingly and said "Don't mind him guys, he is just grumpy because of his old age."

"HEY!" Tazuna exclaimed, offended.

Kakashi sweat dropped and said "They're with me, and I'm a Jonin. So, you don't need to worry." He then said to his team as well as client "Come on guys, let's get going!"

"Right!" Sakura and Naruto cheered.

* * *

They usually travelled in daylight, and would camp at night after finding a suitable place. They had been travelling peacefully for two days. However, on the morning of the third day, the male members of the group noticed Sakura's dark moods.

Kakashi eyed her warily and thought  _'She isn't PMS-ing, is she?'_

Naruto – _the concerned best friend he was_ \- decided to simply ask her. "Sakura? What got your mood so down?"

She glanced up at him, and then sighed. She then looked down again and sulked. "My candies, they're gone."

"What?" Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke asked dumbfounded.

"Granny gave me a packet of mutli-flavoured candies for me before the mission, and I somehow lost them last night." Sakura said as a depressed aura surrounded her.

The three of them sweat dropped. The three of them knew of Sakura's crazy obsession with Candies, which while can be funny at times, was downright scary most of the times.

And especially if someone accidentally ate her candies – _Kami save the poor soul from her fists._

"You mean those little colorful candies you've been carrying around since the last two days ?" Tazuna asked the pink haired brat.

"Yes!" Sakura said as he looked up at him eagerly "Did you see it?"

"yeah, last night." Tazuna agreed, and they passed a puddle of water, which Kakashi discreetly noticed. "I found them lying next to your backpack and ate them."

_(the demon brothers were ready to almost burst out of the puddle, but were frozen by a huge amount of KI being emitted by the pink haired Gennin)_

Naruto and Sasuke immediately backed-off when they sensed the amount of Killing Intent she leaked. Her short pink hair blew in the wind, and her normally emerald eyes darkened.

**'Give him hell, Sakura!** 'Inner growled in anger **'How dare he eat our candies?!'**

She narrowed her eyes at the Bridge Builder who was cowering in fear.

"DIE!" She screeched as she pounced on her client, and even Kakashi wasn't even fast enough to stop her.

_(And no one ever noticed the two Chunnins known widely as 'Demon Brothers' hightailing out of that place. Who'd want to risk the wrath of that pink haired monster, after all?)_

* * *

_**EXTRA-** _

"You failed?! YOU FAILED! What is this? How much of I put up a big money for you! I thought you're supposed to be a hot shot assassins!" A stout man said with a sneer on his face. His name is Gato, the one who had hired these assassins to kill the Bridge Builder.

"Stop whining," A masked Ninja Assassin glowered at Gato, who took a step back. He then pointed his executioner Blade at the Demon Brothers and said "And you two, All you were supposed to do was to kill the Bridge Builder. So pray tell me, why did you high-tailed out of there like a  _sissy_  without even attacking the Old man?"

The two Chunnins shared a look and then whimpered as they remembered the pink-haired monster. "Y-You don't understand, Zabuza, that pink haired brat was a monster!"

"Monster, huh?" He mused," I'll show them what a real  _Demon_  is." His eyes darkened and he chuckled sinisterly.

Now he was excited to meet this so called  _'Pink-haired Monster'._


	9. United We Stand.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whatever happens, they would never abandon one of them. the bonds between the members of team Seven are deeper than anything. They would rather be killed than leave someone behind. Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto proves that perfectly when they come face to face with Zabuza Momochi- the Demon of the Hidden Mist.

Team Seven's destination for their first C-rank mission is the land of Waves- which happens to be a small island some distance away from in mainland, surrounded by the Ocean. They had to take a boat to get to the island, and now were on the way to the Village where Tazuna lived. The Mist had been an annoying presence ever since they had set foot on the Land of Waves, much to Team Seven's chagrin. Having lived their lives till now in the Land of Fire, tolerating the heat, it wasn't that surprising that the cool weather was a welcoming change, although they would've done well without the mist too. It was quite annoying to watch where you walk, or you might bump into trees – _all thanks to the Mist_. Poor Naruto, he had almost broken his nose, bumping into a tree trunk while he was on his Ramen Rant. She had healed him, of course,  _after laughing on his expense._

"Is it just me, or the mist is getting thicker?" Sakura mused out loudly. It was true though, the Mist was getting thicker. It was getting so thicker that Kakashi, who had been walking a few meters before them, completely disappeared from their view, all thanks to the blasted Mist.

"Eh," Tazuna said with a shrug "The Land of Waves is surrounded by Ocean, so the swirling mists are ever-present."

_'But this doesn't feels like normal Mist…'_  Sakura thought as she narrowed her eyes and darted then back and forth.  _'It's like….'_

**'Chakra!'**

Sakura froze up, and then suddenly shouted "Everyone! Stay on your guard! It isn't a normal mist! This mist is infused with chakra!"

Naruto and Sasuke tensed, and though she couldn't sense Kakashi in this chakra-laced mist, she knew he had also heard her and was now alert. Though she had a feeling he had already sensed it a long time ago, and had stayed silent because of his warped sense of humour.

**'Bastard.'**  Inner spat out in distaste.

A sinister laugh echoed around them, sending a shiver of terror down their spines.

"A Sensor-Ninja too, huh?" A chuckle echoed through the mist. "Interesting…."

Sakura's head snapped to the right and her voice had a hoarser tint as she called out at the same time when Kakashi ordered-

"Everyone! Get down!"

**"Duck!"**

Everyone did as they were told, no questions asked. Their hair ruffled with a sudden breeze when something heavy just passed from their heads, and got stuck in a nearby tree trunk. Kneeling, Sakura narrowed her eyes as she pulled her orange goggles over her eyes, so as she could see better. The goggles sure helped a bit to clear her vision a bit to see a large sword stuck in the tree, and a silhouette of a man appeared over it, standing over the sword, but her vision blurred as the mist thickened.

_'Next time, warn me before you take over my body, Inner. You know what happened the last time you did it, right? I had to deal with repressed memories.'_  She reprimanded her Inner.

**'Yeah, yeah, whatever.'**  Inner grumbled, mumbling about ungrateful brats.  **'But you gotta admit if I hadn't taken over you, we couldn't have saved him.'**

A sad look flashed in Sakura's green eyes, making her lower them a bit as she replied to her Inner sadly  _'Well, he wasn't exactly saved, considering he's in a half-dead state right now.'_

Inner quietened down for a bit, and then he said in a soft, sympathetic tone.  **'Don't be hard on yourself Sakura. So what if he's in a coma? He's alive right now, and that's all that matters. He'll wake up someday, I'm sure of it!'**

Before she could reply to him, the mysterious attacker's harsh voice echoed around them, making her shoulders tense as she once again snapped into attention.

"My, my, I sure have lucked out today." The sinister voice echoed around them. "A bunch of brats along with the  _Copy Ninja_  of the Hidden Leaf Village."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but was surprised when Sakura grabbed both him and Sasuke by their collars and jumped back towards Tazuna.

"Manji Formation. Now." She said in  _'no- nonsense'_  tone and both the boys knew better than to argue with her. Naruto really wanted to go up against this Ninja and show a certain  _Uchiha_ what he was capable of, but the coldness in Sakura's voice stilled him. Sakura was never this cold or cautious, well not until either it concerns her candies, or her explosive seals. Since this case is neither of the latter two, the situation must be dire enough to act like this. If Sakura is being cautious, then he will too. Sakura had quite a healthy sense of self-preservation, after all – _although that sense of self-preservation always gets thrown out of window when it concerns anything related to candies_.  _Or explosions. Tch, pyro-maniac pink haired monsters with super strength._

"Well, well, if it isn't  _Zabuza Momochi._  Rogue Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist." Kakashi drawled out in a carefree manner, making her eye twitch.

**'That's Bakakashi for ya.'**  Inner said, sounding amused as well as bitter at the same time, making her wonder if there was something he was not telling her.

"Rogue Ninja?" Naruto said in that loud voice of his, in confusion. "What the hell is a Rogue Ninja?"

Sasuke and Sakura face palmed. They could even feel Kakashi and the other assassin's incredulous looks being sent to their clueless teammate _. Leave it to Naruto to turn a totally tense situation into a hilarious one._

"….How the heck did he even make as a Gennin?" Zabuza wondered out loud in an incredulous tone.

"HEY!" Naruto bristled at that comment, ready to launch himself at the Rogue Nin, if only Sakura hadn't grabbed him by his collar.

"Naruto!" she growled under her breath, in a low tone that only Sasuke and Naruto could hear. Naruto gulped fearfully at that. "Any Ninja worth their salt know what a Rogue Ninja is. Where were you when Iruka-Sensei covered this topic in the Academy?"

Naruto chuckled weakly as he scratched the back of his head. " _Ehehehehehe_ , you  _do_  know that I skipped most classes in the Academy, right?"

A shocking silence settled in the clearing.

Sasuke rolled his eyes heavenward, wondering why he was surrounded by idiots. Sakura clenched her fists and tried her best to not beat Naruto to a pulp. Kakashi sighed in exasperation, wondering why he was not surprised by Naruto's declaration.

And Zabuza? Well, he was wondering if these people were for real.

Sasuke sighed heavily, as if he was done with Naruto's stupidity, "…Why am I not surprise? After all, a dead-last will be dead-last."

Naruto bristled at his taunts and glared at him and yelled "What did you say, you bastard?!"

A twitch appeared over Sakura's forehead and she bonked both their heads with her fists – _thankfully, without adding chakra, she didn't want to kill them after all (well, not now, at least)_ \- and then said "Not the time, guys!"

Zabuza's hoarse laughter rang through the mist covered area, echoing around, making it had for Sakura to pinpoint his location. "You brats sure are amusing, I'll give you that. Too bad, I'll have to kill you. However, if you hand over the old man to me, I  _may_  spare your lives." Zabuza drawled out in his harsh voice.

An eerie silence rag around the them. Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura processed his words and suddenly several things became clear to them. Zabuza was after Tazuna. Sure, Tazuna knew his life was in danger that's why he requested a body-guarding mission; but he had requested for a C-rank Mission – _under which comes simple, harmless threats like bandits and such, and Not A-ranked shinobi like Zabuza Momochi_. It was crystal clear that Tazuna lied to them, and his lies may or may not cost their lives.

Sakura whirled around and faced Tazuna, planting her hands on her hips as she glared at him. "You lied to us about the mission ranking?!" She hissed at him.

Naruto, the only person who hadn't figured out their current situation, tilted his head in confusion as he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, but didn't dare to move from his position. "What do you mean Sakura?"

Tazuna gulped fearfully at her and said "A-Ah, well….."

Sakura opened her mouth to give him some piece of her mind but was stopped by Inner's frantic voice.

**'Terrorise him later, Outer! I can sense two more hostile chakra signatures around us!'**  Inner said urgently.

_'Shit! Where?'_

**'I-I can't pinpoint where exactly, since the damn Mist is jamming my Chakra sense.'**

_'Damn it!'_ She then paused and suggested  _'Hey, do you think they'll really leave us alone if we hand them the old man?'_

He sputtered  **'You can't do that! He's an old man, Sakura!'**

_'Figured you'll say that.'_ She shot back dryly.

She pursued her lips in a thin line and said with a cold glare "We'll deal with you later." At the same time, Zabuza growled warningly as he grew weary of Hatake and his Gennin brats and said-

"Enough! I'll take the old man by force!" He said and soon there were a clanking of metals and a shout from Kakashi that sounded something like "So not gonna happen."

Sakura turned and crouched in an attacking position, and watched the orange tinted foggy vision, not that she could see anything better – _no thanks to the Mist._  She couldn't even rely on Inner's sensing abilities considering that the Mist was jamming the Enemies chakra signatures.

The two new hostile signatures were annoying her like pests with their signatures going on and off, but it was clear that they were coming closer to them. Their plan must be to attack the Gennins while the Jonins fight it out.

"There are two hostile signatures and they are nearing us." She said in a quiet tone, but loud enough so that Sasuke and Naruto can hear her –with all the metal clanking noises going around in the background as Zabuza and Kakashi fought each other.

"Where?" Sasuke asked as he darted his eyes around, wishing he had his sharingan.

"The mist is jamming my sensory abilities. I can't sense them well." She said with a grimace.

"What should we do, Sakura?" Naruto whispered.

Sasuke sighed as he gripped his kunai tighter. "We need a plan."

Startled, she realized that both the boys were insinuating that  _she_  comes up with a plan. They trust her smartness enough to believe that she'll get them out of this situation with some plan of hers. They truly have come far with their teamwork.

The corner of her lips turned upwards at that thought.

_'So, any thoughts Inner?'_

**'Don't ask me.'**  He grumbled. **'Even I know that I'm not that much great planner.'**

Sakura took a deep breath as she first listed all the facts regarding her current situation. Alright, so, they were being attacked by Jonnin Rogue-Nin, along with two unknown Ninjas, who might be about Cunnin Level at best.

Assessing Team Seven's abilities, she'd have to say that only Kakashi has any chance against Zabuza, being a Jonin and all. That leaves the two unknown Chunnins. She was confidant that the three of them can take care of those two.

But first she'll have to do something about the Mist. A small Genjutsu dispelling trick will have to do. Besides, it'd take a lot amount of chakra to dispel the chakra laced Mist surrounding the wide area, and among the three of them, only Naruto can do that.

She took a deep breath as she told her plan to her Teammates. "Alright guys, listen up." The two of them perked up at her voice. She continued "When the Mist clears, we'll have to deal with the two unknown ninjas. We'll just have to leave Zabuza to Bakakashi. This is our best bet at coming out of this alive. So, you agree with the plan?"

The two of them nodded.

"alright," she said as she licked her dry lips in anticipation and said in a louder tone. "Naruto, Genjutsu Trick 101."

"On it!" the blonde boy said as he pulled his hands in ram sign and stopped his chakra for a moment, and then dispelled some it out forcefully. Being the powerhouse he is, he used a lot of chakra, and hence, the Mist disappeared quickly, leaving them shocking view of Kakashi stuck in a Water prison made by Zabuza, who stood on the water, while the hostile chakra signatures she had sensed before stood on the either side of them.

Sakura's eyes widened as she took all this in. their only way to escape was to defeat the three Kiri-nin, where she and the boys would've dealt with the two chunins, who must be the Demon Brothers –zabuza's lackeys; while Kakashi deals with Zabuza. But now when Kakashi himself was taken hostage, there's no chance of their victory.

Three fresh-from-Academy Gennins against two skilled Chunnins and a Jonin- it didn't take time for even Naruto to realise that they were highly outclass. If they continue to pursue this Mission, their possible deaths were becoming highly probable.

They can't even leave the Mission, considering that without Kakashi, they didn't want to lose Kakashi, as well as it'd be a Black mark in their records if they fail their first C-rank – _even if it isn't a C-rank anymore._

Their only chances to survive this would be to  _somehow_  release Kakashi from the Water Prison, which, looking at the way the three Missing Nins were giving them smug looks, wouldn't turn out to be easy.

This mission was turning to be quite – _as a favourite Nara of ours would say_ \- Troublesome.

"Sasuke, Naruto. Change of Plans," she said as her throat turned dry with fear. "We have to rescue Kakashi-Sensei at any cost."

And even when Kakashi was protesting loudly at their choice, and was yelling at them to run away with Tazuna; all the while Zabuza and the Demon Brothers were laughing evilly at the misfortune of the three Gennins. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura shared a look of determination. No matter what happens, they can't leave Kakashi-Sensei behind.  _They won't._

Because they were a team, and to them, their team was their family. They would never abandon their family and friends, after all.

* * *

Her back slammed against the ground, and she could distantly hearing cracking of one or two of her ribs as she screamed in pain. There were black and blue bruises marring her fair skin, and the throbbing on her head reminded her that she had a concussion. Why did she even think that she could fight the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi, all on her own – _even if she was just fighting a water Clone of his_ \- was beyond her.

She had asked Sasuke and Naruto to take care of the Demon Brothers while she fought Zabuza's clone while Zabuza watched in amusement while holding Kakashi as his prisoner. Sasuke and Naruto were doing quite a good job of fighting the two Chunnins – _she had never doubted their abilities anyway_ \- but she wasn't faring so well herself. Zabuza was so  _darn_  skilled. She never stands a chance against him. If only she could use her sharingan…

No, no, she won't. She had promised to Granny Sayuri that she will not use her sharingan ever, since not only it would make her go blind and insane at it's overuse, some twisted people might target her for her fully developed sharingan.

At the rate this fight was going, she was sure she'll die by hands of a Water Clone no less.

"Fire Style- fireball Jutsu!"

A big ball of fire made it's way towards Clone Zabuza, who dodged it as he leaped away from her. She winced from it's burning heat as the fireball passed above her.

"Multi-Shadow Clone jutsu!"

Many Naruto Clones attacked Clone Zabuza with a war cry, pushing him away from her. She flinched when her teammates rushed towards her and helped her stand up, while accidently touching her bruises. Looks like they were finished with their fights.

"Sorry!" Naruto winced as he apologized.

"I'm fine." She said with a wobbly smile, but it didn't do anything to calm them down at all. Their clothes were tattered from some places, and there were some bleeding wounds, but nothing critical. At least they didn't look as bad as her.

Clone Zabuza absolutely  _annihilated_  Naruto's clones, and grinned at them with a bloodthirsty grin as he pointed the executioner Blade at them and said exasperatedly "You think wearing a headband makes you a Ninja." He narrowed his eyes "When you hover between life and death so many times that it doesn't faze you,  _then_ you may be called a  _Ninja_." A huge amount of Killing intent filled the clearing, freezing the three of them. "When you've become so deadly your profile is entered in my Bingo Book,  _then_ you may have earned the Title of  _Ninja_." The Clone Zabuza sneered at them. "But calling upstarts like you a Ninja is a  _joke_!"

The three of them trembled in fear as the Killing Intent washed over them. It was nothing like they've ever felt. The Killing Intent of a Jonnin is nothing to scoff at. It's like you're being forced underwater, with no way to get on surface and breathe. It is so suffocating that slowly, you feel like it'd be better to take your own life than to be killed in a painful, torturous manner.

And that was how the three Gennins were feeling.

What were they thinking? They never stood a chance against Zabuza. He wasn't called the Demon of the Bloody Mist for no reason. What could mere Genins like them do against a full-fledged Ninja?  _Nothing._ And now, now they'll be killed. Zabuza would kill them mercilessly. He'd  _annihilate_  them.

They should've ran away when they still had time. At least they'd have had a chance to survive then.

**'And leave Kakashi behind?'**  Inner's soft, but harsh tone broke through the haze that filled through her mind **. 'I thought we were past this Sakura. I thought you had finally come in terms to the fact that abandoning a comrade in need is not the way we do things!'**

_'B-But-'_

**'Stop being a coward, Outer.'**  He scolded her, making her flinch. 'No matter how strong we become, there'll always be someone who's stronger than us. Will you always run away from when you face stronger opponents? Being stronger doesn't mean to have no fear, it means to have the will to face and overcome our fears.'

_'B-But I'm s-scared, Inner._ ' She replied, quivering.

**'I know.'**  He said softly.  **'But you have to try. Kakashi is our comrade, we can't leave him. Besides, didn't shisui say that true strength emerges when you have something precious to protect. Do you remember what he called it? '**

"The Will of Fire." She said in a quiet tone as her trembling stopped.

**'That's right. The Will to protect something precious to you; that is the Will of Fire- Isn't this what he had said to us? Are you going to mock his memory by going against the very thing he preached?'**

"No." she whispered as her emerald green eyes hardened as she clenched her fist. Never.

She slipped her hands to Naruto and Sasuke's shoulders as they too trembled in fear. She glared coldly at Zabuza and said "Well then Zabuza Momochi, put this in your Bingo Book" She took a step forward and pulled her orange goggles up and said with a huge grin "the Ninjas that'll one day become Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves," She took a deep breath as she squeezed her friends shoulders and smiled warmly at them. "- _they_ never back down." She tilted her head and smirked "Right Naruto?"

Naruto, who had been trembling in fear up until now, froze in shock and snapped his head towards her with his mouth hanging open. She….. She really believed that  _he_  can become Hokage. No,  _they_.  _They_ can be Hokage.

His eyes watered, but he didn't let the tears spill from his eyes and he choked back a sob. "Y-Yeah!" he said as he wiped his eyes. "Believe it!" He said with a wide smile that reached his eyes.

"And this prat," she said as she slung her hand over Sasuke's shoulder and gave him a side hug. "-is going to be our Personal Assistant."

Sasuke also broke from his trance and elbowed her with his eye twitching in irritation. "As if!" He muttered angrily.

Zabuza glared at them furiously. How the heck did the brats get over his Killing Intent. He doubled the amount of KI, but the brats remained unfazed.

Sakura glanced at Clone Zabuza, and then at the real one who stood over the lake with Kakashi Sensei as his hostage, and glared.

'You can do this, Sakura.' Inner said in a soothing tone. 'I know you can.'

She closed her eyes and remembered all the time she spent under Granny Sayuri as the woman trained her ruthlessly. She remembered her own team training and doing  _abnormal_ D ranked Missions with them.

Zabuza was a Jonin and even defeating his clone would be hard. But they were Team Seven, and if they were anything they were good at, then it was  _Teamwork_. Alone, they don't stand a chance against the Missing Nin, but together, she was sure they can pull it off.

Sakura crouched down in an attacking position and she said in a loud and clear tone. "Sasuke, Naruto, remember the D-ranks."

Realization dawned on Sasuke, and even Naruto's blue eyes sparkled as they understood her command. It was simple, really.

_If they survive the abnormal d ranks that even Elite Jonin fear, then defeating a Missing Nin with their Teamwork is gonna be a piece of cake compared to it._

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura shot Fireballs at Clone Zabuza while Naruto clones engaged him in a Taijutsu fight, however, he quickly dispelled Naruto's clones. Naruto created another batch of clones that dogpiled on Zabuza's clone, while Sakura slammed her hands down and a sealing matrix appeared under them. The Clone Zabuza used Substitution Jutsu and dodged narrowly as the Runes on the ground glowed for a moment, and then a huge explosion occurred, creating shockwaves that caused ripples in the lake that  _almost_  knocked Zabuza off the water surface.

The Zabuza clone chuckled as he landed and inspected the ground where he had been dog-piled on a moment ago and found a huge crater there, as the smoke cleared. "Impressive," he said with a strange glint in his eyes. "But not much to defeat me."

"SHANNARO!" A war-cry startled him as Sakura Body flickered towards him and fought with him with punches and kicks, soon joined by Sasuke.

The real Zabuza chuckled as he saw how impressively the Gennins fought with his water Clone. "I must say Kakashi, you taught your Gennins well," he then cocked his head sideways and said proudly "But they can never defeat me!"

A flash of orange was his only warning before Naruto stood behind Zabuza and thrust his kunai to the Missing Nin's chest, only for the man to narrowly dodge it –but couldn't dodge fully as it still manage to scratch him, making him bleed out a bit- as he shifted a bit, making him take out his hand from the Water Bubble Prison, releasing kakashi.

"That, my friend, is the  _Flash Step_!" Naruto declared smugly as he stepped a bit away from zabuza.

The Water Clone was dispelled, and Sakura and Sasuke – _who had been engaging Clone Zabuza in a fight_ -turned to Naruto.

"Naruto! You did it!" Sakura beamed at him.

"Tch dead last, what took you so long?" Sasuke scoffed, but the gleam in his onyx eyes was unmistakable.

"You brat." Zabuza glowered angrily. Not only did the brats managed to release Kakashi from his Bubble Prison, but they also managed to wound him a bit. "You're gonna pay!"

Naruto's eyes widened, and even sasuke and Sakura cried out in fear as Zabuza struck his Executioner Blade at Naruto.

…only for Kakashi to defend him with a kunai.

Kakashi was drenched in water from head to toe. His headband was now up, and a sharingan with three tomoe was spinning as he glared at the Missing Nin. Sasuke and Sakura stared coldly at the sharingan in his left eye, many questions whirling in their mind.

Kakashi glared coldly at Zabuza and he said in a dark tone. "No,  _you're_  gonna pay for what you've done."

The rest, they say, is history.


	10. I've got something in my eyes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura and Kakashi have a minor argument.

Kakashi woke up with a sore body and a killer headache. Why did it feel as if he fought  _one-on-one_  with Gai with his hands tied? He tensed when he felt two chakra signatures near him, but relaxed when he realised that it were just Naruto and Sasuke. He groaned in pain and blinked his eyes open, and found himself in company of his two male students.

"Oh look Sasuke, the sleeping beauty awakens." Naruto said with a snicker as he looked at Kakashi from where he was seated at the corner.

Sasuke ignored him as he hovered above Kakashi, and with his hands glowing pale blue, as he did the  _Medical Diagnostic Jutsu_. He hummed in contemplation and then muttered with a sigh "Everything's fine. Sakura had healed your broken ribs but they'll still be sore for some hours. Bruises and other injuries are healed, but you have Second degree Chakra Exhaustion, so no strenuous work for at least a week." He then helped Kakashi sit up and made him drink some water.

Kakashi sighed as he drank the water, and then eyed the room he was in. "Where-?"

Understanding what he was going to ask, Naruto replied "We are at Tazuna's house."

"Where's Sakura?" He asked when he realised that the female member of Team Seven was absent.

"She has gone to the forest," Naruto then paused as he squinted his eyes and scratched the back of his head as he tried to remember what Sakura had told them to say to Kakashi if he wakes up and asks for her. "-something about gathering herbs?..." He looked at Sasuke for confirmation, who just nodded his head, but didn't look at Kakashi.

Kakashi hmmed as he tried to remember what had happened before he was knocked out. He remembered the fight with Zabuza and his lackeys – _the Demon Brothers_ -, and then getting imprisoned in the Water Bubble Prison. He remembered being surprised at how his Genins had managed to free him from the Bubble prison jutsu. He remembered being thoroughly pissed at Zabuza for trying to harm his cute little genins. He remembered defeating Zabuza, and getting ready to kill the Missing Nin. But then someone interfered the fight –  _who had that been?_ Oh yes, a Hunter Nin. He had used senbons to kill Zabuza and then took his body away along with the Demon Brothers Bodies too.

Kakashi blinked. Wait….  _Senbons?_  The Hunter Nin used  _Senbons_  to kill Zabuza? Who the hell uses  _Senbons_  to kill people? Senbons aren't assassinating weapons, they're just used to either heavily injure the opponent or poisoning them. It's a great weapon for medical purposes, but it isn't any good assassinating weapon. The Hunter Nin also didn't incinerate Zabuza's body on spot – _like Hunter Nins are supposed to do_ \- and took off with Zabuza's body.  _Conclusion?_  There's a high chance that Zabuza as well as the Demon Brothers were alive, and that the Hunter Nin was their accomplice.

Kakashi groaned, making the two Gennins eye him warily. He replied tiredly "Turns out, Zabuza is still alive."

He was expecting Naruto to start yelling and ranting about how was it possible, and for Sasuke to scowl in displeasure, but was shocked when both the Gennins just sighed in resignation.

"Yeah, we figured. Sakura said so too." Naruto said. He then scratched the back of his head sheepishly and muttered "Something about….. needles that paralyse the opponent to weird death state or something? What did she call them Sasuke?"

Sasuke snorted and said "Senbons, dobe. Senbons."

Naruto snapped his fingers and said excitedly "Yeah! That!" He then blinked as he realised that Sasuke just insulted him once again, and then whirled towards the Uchiha and yelled "What did you just call me?!"

"Hard of hearing?" Sasuke shot back at him with a smirk.

Kakashi sighed exasperatedly as the two boys argued about God knows what. He gazed at them fondly as he watched them argue for silliest of things. Oh how much they've grown since graduating from the Academy. There was a time when Sasuke used to stay aloof from Sakura and Naruto, and now the three of them interacted as if they've been best of friends for years. Now to think of it, it hasn't been much time since they graduated. How can they have such deep bonds in such little time? Maybe there's some history between them that he wasn't aware of? Hm…..his cute little genins are sure turning out to be quite handful.

Kakashi's shoulders tensed as he sensed a foreign chakra appearing at the door of the room he was staying in. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the chakra patterns. The chakra wasn't much – _a civilian perhaps?_  There was a knock on the door, and Naruto and Sasuke stopped arguing. Sasuke stood up and quietly opened the door. Kakashi tilted his head as the door opened and a civilian woman walked in, carrying a tray with a bowl of soup in it. The woman blinked her brown eyes as she realised that Kakashi was awake.

"Oh, you're awake!" She exclaimed as she placed the tray next to Kakashi's futon and bowed her head towards him. "I am Tazuna's daughter. My name is Tsunami. Thank you for accompanying my father in his journey and protecting him from danger."

Kakashi relaxed his tensed shoulders as he discretely eyes the woman before him. Tazuna's daughter, huh?

Tsunami then gestured towards the soup and said nervously "I am sorry, I know this is not much. However, your students strictly told me not to give you any heavy food, so soup it is."

Kakashi's lone eye curved into a upturned U as he eye smiled at the woman before him. "Maa, Maa, it's no trouble." He said calmly "A soup sounds heavenly right now to my starved stomach." He said as he picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup.

Sasuke nudged Naruto not-so-discreetly and then looked pointedly at the door. Realization dawned on Naruto's face as he nodded, and then turned towards Kakashi with a cheery grin, which only made the silver haired Jounin even more suspicious of their behavior. Something was definitely up with his Genins.

"Well then, have a nice dinner Kakashi-sensei!" the blonde boy said as he waved cheerfully at his sensei and walked out of the room along with Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke closed the door behind him as he and Naruto finally got out of that room. He then glanced at Naruto, and both of them gave a sigh of relief.

"Well," Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head "-that went well."

Sasuke just grunted in response. He then turned away and said "I'll go look for Sakura, she has been gone for hours and hasn't been back yet."

Naruto looked at him slyly and teased "Wow, the cold Uchiha bastard is actually worrying for Sakura? Now that's a first."

Sasuke's cheeks were dusted with pink and he glared at the blonde boy. "Shut it, loser."

"Oi! Stop calling me loser!"

* * *

Sakura hummed a tune as she wandered around the forest with a basket in her left hand, looking for some medicinal herbs. She wondered if Kakashi had woken up or not.

**'Why should you care about that Bakakashi?'**  inner grumbled.  **'He didn't care for you three at all. If he did, he wouldn't have fallen for such a rookie trick and got himself imprisoned in that bubble Jutsu, risking the lives of the three of you. You three had been lucky that you even got through that fight alive.'**

_'Oh come on Inner, cut the man some slack. In the end he protected us, didn't he?'_  She answered back to him with an eye roll.

**'That doesn't mean you can excuse his stupid behavior!'**  Inner argued, and she blocked out his rants about what an idiot Kakashi was. Inner didn't like Kakashi-Sensei one bit, Sakura wondered why.

Sakura walked up in a clearing, and was surprised to see another person there, gathering herbs. She walked towards the other person who wore a light purple yukata with flowery design. They had silky brown hair up to their back, fair skin, and pretty brown eyes.

_'She is so pretty!'_  Inner gushed with a blush on his face, not that Sakura could see it since her mindscape was pretty much a black void, but still, she could practically feel his face was red.

_'It's a boy, you idiot.'_  Sakura said exasperatedly.

**'No way!** _'_  Inner argued.  **'You're lying!'**

_'Let's bet on it then, shall we?'_  Sakura said slyly, to which Inner definitely agreed.

"Hello there!" Sakura said in a cheerful tone as she walked nearer to the other person. "Are you here to gather herbs?"

The other person looked up at her, their eyes flashing in surprise, "Yes," They then glanced at the basket in her other hand and murmured "I assume you're here to gather some herbs too?"

"That's correct!" Sakura said with a warm smile as she crouched down next to her and started gathering the required herbs. "My Sensei got himself knocked out, I thought why not to make him some potion to help speed his recovery."

"That's nice of you." The other person said in a soft tone.

She smiled at him and held out her hand. "My name is Sakura, by the way. What's yours?"

"Haku." The other person said after a moment of hesitation, and shook her hand.

She then scratched the back of her head sheepishly and said shyly "I don't want to be rude, but, are you a girl or a boy?"

**'Way to be discreet, idiot.'**  Her Inner deadpanned.

The other person gave her an amused look, to which she blushed. "I am a boy."

**'EH?!'**  inner exclaimed in surprise, while Sakura cackled mentally in victory.

_'Shannaro! I win!'_  she said mentally as she did a held up her hand victory sign.

"Oh…." Sakura said, and resumed collecting the herbs, next to Haku. Haku glanced up at her Leaf headband from time to time, and in the end, Sakura decided to just point him out for it.

"Hey is something wrong?" She asked nonchalantly when he once again stared at her headband.

Haku shook his head and said "No, no, it's just….." he pointed out at her headband and said "Are you a Leaf Ninja? Or are you just wearing that for show?"

Her eye twitched in irritation and she retorted "I'll have you know I trained a lot to graduate and earn this headband."

The other boy held up his hands in a placating gesture and said "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

She sighed exasperatedly and said "No, no, it's fine."

"If you don't mind, may I ask you something?" Haku asked in a soft tone, and when Sakura nodded, he questioned "Why did you become a Ninja?"

Sakura's hands stilled, and she completely froze. Haku stared at her curiously, as she took a deep breath and muttered "Because I didn't want to be weak anymore."

Haku blinked in surprise. "What?"

Sakura looked at him, her green eyes shining like precious emeralds. His breathing caught in his throat as she said "There are people in this world who are precious to me. I want to protect them." She clenched her fists and said, her voice filled with grief "I don't want to lose more of my precious people." She stared up at the sky shimmering with orange light, as the sun was starting to set down. "I want to be a ninja that can stand side by side her comrades and fight alongside them, and protect them from harm. I want to be a Ninja that never abandons their comrades in the face of danger." She gave him a bright smile and said "That's my  _Nindo_ , My Ninja Way."

Haku stared at her with mixed emotions. Her words and her compassion made his heart skip a beat. He stood up, and said with a small smile. "You will get stronger, Sakura. I have no doubt about it." He mused.

"Huh?" Sakura said, confused as she tilted her head.

Haku chuckled and said "When you have something precious to protect, only then can you achieve true strength." Grabbing the basket, he walked away from the clearing, but not before saying goodbye to her. "Ja ne, Sakura. I'm sure we'll meet again."

_And the next time we meet, it will not be as friends, but as enemies._  Haku mused.

"Nice kid." Sakura muttered as she gathered the herbs she needed.

**'Nice, but weird.'**  Her Inner commented.

_'Not as weird as you.'_

**'Hey!'**

"Hey! Sakura!" Sakura was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice yell her name. She blinked in surprise and turned towards her friends who were running towards her.

"What are you guys doing here?" She questioned as she grabbed the basket filled with medicinal herbs.

"You were taking too long to gather herbs, so the bastard got worried about you." Naruto snickered as he pointed towards Sasuke, who blushed tomato red and huffed.

"I was not. The dobe is lying."

Sakura watched, amused as the two of them got into another argument. She walked near the both of them and bumped her shoulders with theirs.

"It was nice of you to come looking for me." She said with a smile, making both the boys blush at her statement. The three of them started walking through the forest, a peaceful silence hung around them. After a while later, she decided to break the silence as she asked "So, how is Kakashi-Sensei?"

"He's fine. Still weak and exhausted from the Chakra Exhaustion, but with proper food and rest, he'll be fine." Sasuke said with a shrug.

"And did you ask Kakashi-Sensei about his sharingan?" She glanced at Sasuke from the corner of her eyes, and saw that his expressions turned sour.

"No." He said as he shoved his hands in his pocket and looked away.

She stared at him, confused. "Why not?"

He sighed and shrugged. "I figured you'd want to know as well."

She blinked and then her lips twitched up in a soft smile. "I'd like that." She tilted her head and said softly "Thank you, Sasuke."

* * *

"Since we know that Zabuza's alive," Kakashi lectured his students, while lying down on the futon. The three genin sat before him in a semi-circle. "We need to prepare accordingly. I'm going to train you three."

**'Oh so now he finally realizes that he needs to train you three? Where the hell was this guy when you three were waiting for him to teach you all these months?'**  Inner ranted in annoyance.  **'Oh wait, he was roaming around, reading that shitty porn book of his while you three got fed up with his lazy attitude and trained by yourselves!'**

_'Inner, what's the matter with you? I know you don't like Kakashi-Sensei for some reason, but don't you think this is going too far?'_  She sighed in exasperation.  _'Besides, how do you know that that book of his is porn?'_

**'Oh come on! You know I'm right!'**  he whined.

She hated to admit it, but he was kinda right. Ever since they passed the bell test, Kakashi had made them do D ranked missions – _which shouldn't even be called as D ranks! They were nothing short of suicidal missions!_ \- they waited and waited for him to train them something, but in the end the three of them got fed up and trained by themselves. And even then he never said anything. Not even a complement!  _What the hell is wrong with that guy?!_

Sighing, she gave Kakashi a hard look and said "You know Sensei, a little last minute training session won't make us strong enough to fight Zabuza! Even you had a hard time fighting against Zabuza even with your Sharingan, and that reminds me," She pinned him with a glare and asked "when were you going to tell us about your Sharingan?"

Sasuke tensed and stared at Kakashi, while Naruto just glanced to and fro between his sensei and his teammates.

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled and pointed a finger at Kakashi accusingly "How come you have those funky red eyes that only the people from Bastard's clan had?"

Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi sweat dropped at Naruto's words.  _'Funky red eyes...?'_

Kakashi stared at Sakura for a moment, and then gave her an eye smile, wondering if he could deflect her questions. He actually didn't wish to answer her questions, besides they didn't concern her. "Well, aren't you a curious little thing?" He said with a chuckle, and then ruffled her pink hair and said "You shouldn't worry about things that don't concern you, Sakura, or you'll get pulled in their mess." He said good naturedly as he joked with his gennin, but sweat dropped when the three of them gave him an unimpressed stare.

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You don't want to share it with us. Don't tell me and Naruto, then." She pointed towards Sasuke. "At least tell him. Being the last Uchiha and all, he deserves an explanation, Sensei."

"Sakura-" Sasuke tried to protest, but Sakura just shook her head at him, and then said with a soft smile-

"It's alright, Sasuke."Sakura got up and was about to go out with Naruto, but Sasuke grabbed her hand tightly and glared at her, making her startle.

"Quit being annoying." He said as he shot her a death glare. "you aren't going anywhere, Sakura." He then cocked his head to the side and glanced at Naruto and tsked. "You too, dobe."

Naruto first stared at Sasuke, and then at Sakura, and then back at Sasuke. He opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it and threw his hands up in exasperation. "You two are so complicated to understand, that it isn't even funny anymore."

Sakura and Sasuke blinked at him in astonishment, and then Sakura murmured. "I am astonished that you even know what complicated means."

Sasuke snorted at her comment, while Naruto shot her a mock glare.

Kakashi's eyes softened at their interaction, and he shook his head fondly. He knew he was a shitty teacher –not that he didn't try to interact with them, it's just, he was way too socially stunted and awkward that it's not even funny anymore. Sometimes, he was jealous of his three genins, and wished he had such strong bonds with his own team. If only he hadn't been such a douche bag in the past, maybe Obito, Rin and Minato-Sensei would have been alive. Well, one can wish, right?

Sasuke's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, kakashi-Sensei." Kakashi glanced at Sasuke as he crossed his arms and pinned him a glare. "But just tell me one thing, are you an Uchiha or not?" For a second, Sasuke's eyes fell over his left eye that was covered by his Konoha headband, but the Uchiha shifted his onyx eyes away from it and kept staring stubbornly at his Jonin teacher.

Kakashi sighed wearily and shook his head. "No, I am not." He denied.

A queasy feeling settled in her stomach, and her right eye burned a bit. Before she even knew what she was doing, she spoke up-

"The sharingan," she blurted out "Was it given to you willingly? Or did you steal it from someone?"

The three males snapped their heads towards her, staring at her in surprise and horror. They couldn't understand how she could ask such a question. Heck, even she herself was startled that she spoke such a thing.

Ever since she came to know that her jonin sensei had a Sharingan, this question had been plaguing her mind. She had been wondering to subtly ask it when the Jonin was most relaxed, and not blurt it out tactlessly when the situation was already worse.

She internally moaned and wanted nothing more than to bang her head against the wall. Maybe it will cure her stupidity?

"No!" Kakashi's fierce reply, made her look up at him. She watched his lone eye fill with myriad of emotions –fury, horror, self-disgust, pain, guilt- and for the first time ever since she graduated, she saw her Sensei sat straight without slouching his shoulders, and was tensed- _even with his fight against zabuza, he hadn't been this tense_ \- and she could sense his lightening edged chakra thrumming angrily beneath his skin. It said so much for his control that even during his worse moments he didn't let his chakra lash out of control. A true shinobi indeed. Kakashi clenched and unclenched his fists, and hissed out angrily "I would never!" his breaths turned ragged, and soon he was panting hard, but he never stopped glaring at her. She almost took a step back at the menacing look he sent her, but she didn't. She hadn't meant to anger him. She just wanted to know the truth, that's it. "This sharingan," he gulped as he pointed towards his tilted hitai-ate that hid his left sharingan eye. "It was a gift from my best friend. He gave it to me before he died."

The look of utter pain and anguish on her normally cheerful Sensei faltered her courage, and her green eyes lowered down to the ground. She felt ashamed of herself. She is so  _stupid._  She shouldn't have asked such a tactless question. It was so silly of her! How could she ever suspect Kakashi of stealing someone's sharingan? This is  _Bakakashi_  she's talking about, the same Bakakashi who preaches teamwork and promised to protect his Genin team whom he think of as his comrades! Bakakashi would never do something so low like stealing a comrade's dojutsu.  _How preposterous of her to even think such a thing!_

During this whole ordeal, Inner remained oddly silent. She didn't question his silence, since she already has too much on her mind.

"I see…" she said as she kept her stare down at the wooden floor, too afraid to look at her sensei in the eye. "I-" She cleared her throat, feeling ashamed of herself. "I am sorry, Kakashi-Sensei." She said softly as she stood up and bowed down to him in apology, and quickly rushed away from there, wanting to be alone for some time.

"Sakura-" Naruto called out to her, concerned at her sudden departure, but Sasuke grabbed his arm and stopped him from going after her. Naruto glared at the Uchiha and spat out "Unhand me now, Sasuke."

"Don't." Sasuke said to him with a glare. "It's better to just leave her alone for now."

"But….." Naruto muttered uncertainly, biting his lower lip in worry as he watched Sakura's retreating back. He glanced back at Kakashi, who finally gained control of his emotions, and stared at the two of them uncomfortable.

The two boys shifted on their feet nervously, wondering what the hell they should do now. Kakashi cleared his throat, and when the two of them looked back at him, he gave them an eye smile. "Well, let's meet up tomorrow morning in the nearby clearing for training, kay?"

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look and then shrugged. Maybe they should leave Sakura for a while.

* * *

The stars twinkled up in the night sky, and the moonlight filtered through the tree eaves, and leached the mossy floor of the forest.

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Sakura punched the tree stump again and again, trying to take out all her frustrations on the poor tree. Her knuckles stung with pain, but she ignored it. Tears welled up in her green eyes, making them appear glassy, and rolled down her cheeks. She sniffed and continued the assault on the tree stump.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She screeched as she kept hitting the tree log. Why was she crying anyways?

She didn't know. But she knew that it had something to do with what had happened a while ago. She was ashamed of herself. How could she accuse her Sensei like that? She has been his genin student for about three months now. Sure he may not be a good teacher, is emotionally stunted, always late to everything and gives the most atrocious excuses, loves to read perverted books, and loves to make his genins suffer, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care. He does care about the three of them, if not, then why would he stress the fact that whatever happens, he will always try his best to protect them? If he didn't care, he wouldn't have fought Zabuza even when he was on the verge of Chakra exhaustion.

**'Hey, it's alright, you know.'**  Her inner said softly, and she paused mid strike.

_'No, it's not._ ' she placed her hand over the tree stump, which was now marred with various marks over it –all thanks to Sakura's punches. She glanced at her knuckles, which were stinging heavily.  _'I'm so stupid! I shouldn't have been so tactless!_ ' More tears rolled down her cheeks, making her Inner sigh in exasperation.

**'You were always so easy to cry. Even after all these years, you still cry for the silliest of things.'**

_'I-I do not!'_  She thought back as she wiped the tears away, and pulled down the orange goggles over her eyes.  _'I've just got something in my eye.'_

**'Right….'**  He drawled out mentally, and she could almost hear his snickering.

She ignored him and continued on with her strikes, but this time they were in a perfect rhythm, and not so haphazardly done like she had been doing a minute ago due to her anger. Talking to Inner always have a soothing effect on her. Somehow, he always manages to make her feel better.

But still, what an idiot she is. First she goes pissing off Bakakashi like that, and now she's crying for some stupid mistake she did. Ugh, why does she always get so emotional over stupid little things? It's just… she had been wary of Kakashi ever since he had shown his sharingan. She remembered Granny Sayuri telling her to keep her sharingan hidden and not to tell anyone about it since there are some people who would try to harm her and steal it from her. Seeing Kakashi's sharingan, that was the first thing that came in her mind, well among other things.

He sighed and muttered ' **You always wear your emotions on your sleeves. You have always been a crybaby, a brat and woefully ignorant.'** She kept listening to his words, feeling somewhat offended by him. But it didn't sting as much as it should, after all, what he was speaking was truth. ' **But even so,'** his voice softened, and she could feel him smiling, even though she couldn't exactly see his smile since her mindscape has always been a dark void, and she never went their, respecting inner's privacy.  **'-in spite of all that, you are kind, and you care about your comrades.'**  He paused, wondering if he should continue or not.  **'Yes, you did piss Bakakashi off for a while, but you were only looking out for Sasuke. I won't blame you for anything. Besides, you know he had it coming for a LONG time.'**

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered absently as she kept up with her strikes on the wooden log.

A vein twitched over his head, and he yelled in her mind, making her wince and miss a strike.  **'ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME, OUTER?!'**

_'Are you trying to cause me some brain damage?'_  Sakura scowled as she stopped her strikes, her knuckles now aching badly.

**'Do you even have any brain for me to cause any damage?'**

_'Why you-'_

She was about to retort to him, when a voice cut her off.

"Sakura?"

She whirled her head to the right, and muttered "Kakashi-Sensei?"

Kakashi gave her an eye smile and walked towards her, supporting himself with a wooden stick that he used as a crutch. He walked towards her with the help of the crutch, and she noticed how he was leaning a bit more towards his left leg. Hm….. she'll have to look into that later.

"Doing some midnight training, are we?" he said as he glanced over at the tree stump she had been using as a practice dummy.

Sakura pulled up the orange goggles over her head, and glanced up at Kakashi with her green eyes. After hesitating for a moment, she bowed down to him and said softly "I am really sorry, Sensei. I shouldn't have asked you something like that."

He stared her for a moment, and then just ruffled her pink hair, to which she scowled and slapped his hand away. He eye smiled at her and said "It's alright, Sakura. Actually, I had been expecting those questions, but honestly, I had been expecting Sasuke to inquire about it, and not you." He patted her shoulder and said "Still, there is nothing to be sorry about. It just shows that you are quite perspective and smart for your age."

Sakura stared at him with wide green eyes, and said in a quiet tone. "You mean it, Sensei? You are not angry at me at all?"

Kakashi shook his head and said "Of course I am not, Sakura."

Her eyes watered once again, and she sniffled.  _Ugh, stupid emotions._  This isn't even anything to cry about! But somehow, it felt unreal. The emotionally stunted Bakakashi was trying to make her feel better, _how cute_. He may be an incompetent teacher, but it was heartwarming to know that he cares about her. Maybe Bakakashi wasn't a lost cause after all.

_'You know Inner, he isn't really that bad.'_  Sakura thought.

Inner hesitated for a second, before he replied  **'….Maybe.'**

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, and asked, bewildered "Are you…..  _crying?_ "

"No." She wiped her eyes before the unshed tears could fall and sniffed once again. Her voice turned hoarser just a bit, and she and Inner muttered in unison.  _ **"I've just got something in my eyes."**_

* * *


	11. Do not mock a Hero's Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inari, being the brat he is, pisses Team Seven off with his poor word choice, and Sakura lashes out

The next day, team seven plus Tazuna's family sat around the dining table, having breakfast as they discussed their next plan of action.

"Gatou, of the Gatou Enterprises, happens to be a very shady businessman. He controls the whole Economy of wave by controlling the shipping regimes. The only way to bring some economic stability back to the people of Wave would be only if they have some access to the mainland, which happens to be the reason why Gatou wants Tazuna dead. If Tazuna happens to complete the bridge, then people of Wave will have access to the mainland again and they will have a way to break out of Gatou's control." Kakashi surmised their situation. He then raised his eyebrows at his students and asked "Am I missing anything?"

"Nope. That's all, Sensei!" Naruto exclaimed as he gulped down the whole loaf of bread and earned himself a punch to the head by Sakura who scolded him for not chewing properly.

Tazuna took a gulp of his sake and chuckled "By the way, you lot have my thanks. You all brought me back safely to my home, even though none of you look Ninja material to me."

Naruto and Sasuke's eyes twitched in annoyance and they clenched their fists under the table, while Sakura simply kept serving everyone, and didn't react to his comment at all and said "You really shouldn't drink sake this early in the morning, old man. It is not good for your old bones."

"Who are you calling old, brat!" Tazuna snapped at her, while Tsunami scolded her father for being so rude to their guests. Naruto just snickered in the background.

Sasuke bit into his piece of bread slowly and muttered "You have to admit though, Gatou's plan had been quite good." Sasuke pointed out. "The people living in an island usually depend on their imports and exports. Controlling the shipping industry of an island - _especially one such as resourceful as Wave_ \- equals controlling the entire island itself."

Sakura hummed as she applied butter to another piece of bread and handed it to Kakashi, who gave her an eye smile and ate it with a blink of an eye, without even removing his mask. Inner grumbled about how he was getting better at hiding his face, even while eating. Sakura said "Even if he is a good planner, Gatou happens to be a bad businessman." Sasuke looked at her questioningly, and she rolled her eyes "I mean, come on, he tried to control the economy of the land of Waves by force and tyranny which only gives him one time profit. Now the country is so poor that he can't sell his imported items. Isn't this like, bad business? A good businessman would've made a mutual trade treaty with Wave, which would be more profitable than a one-time deal."

Kakashi blinked, and then smiled softly at the pink haired girl. "I knew you were smart Sakura, but I didn't know you were this smart." She is so much more than a girl with book smarts. She actually knows how to use her book knowledge in real life.

Sakura blushed at his compliment, while Inner's jaw hung open in a gobsmacked expression.  **'No way, did** ** _Bakakashi_** **just praise us?!'**  he then shouted out  **'Who the hell is he and what did he do to Bakakashi?!'**

Sakura's eye twitched and she could barely keep the smile on her face, all thanks to Inner. (To Kakashi, she just looked a bit constipated.) She grunted a mental reply  _'Jeez Inner do you want to give me a headache first thing in the morning?'_

That quietened him down for a while. Kakashi placed down his chopsticks, and said "Considering the fact that Zabuza is alive, and the fake-Hunter nin is his acquaintance, we need to plan what to do next. I am sure that as soon as he is recovered, Zabuza will attack once again. We need to be prepared for them."

"Why do you even bother?" Tazuna's grandson, Inari, muttered quietly, and everyone's eyes fell on the short boy who was sulking in a corner.

"I'm sorry?" Kakashi said in a faux-sincere tone.

"There is no way you can beat Gatou." The brat said with a snort. "You don't stand a chance against him."

Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance and he yelled "WHY YOU-?!"

Sakura clamped her hand down on his shoulder and forced him to sit down with her superhuman strength. When Naruto looked up at her, he found her smiling sweetly at the younger boy, "Oh, and why do you think so, Inari? Why do you think we can't beat Gatou like awesome heroes we are?" She said in a joking tone to ease up the boy, but it seemed like her words just tensed him even further. Inari glared at her and snarled-

"There is no such thing as a hero! You're just full of stupid ideas!"

Sakura's smile tightened, and a vein popped over her head.  _'If he wasn't a kid, I swear I'd have pummeled him to the ground! SHANNARO!'_

Inner sweat dropped and said in a complacent tone,  **'Eh Outer, calm down. No need to be so violent, He's just a kid,'**  he then muttered under his breath,  **'a bratty one at that.'**

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Naruto exclaimed angrily and he stood up and glared at the younger boy.

Inari scoffed. "If you value your life then go back to where you came from." He then stood up and left the room, leaving his breakfast untouched. Tsunami called out to her son but he just stormed away. Tsunami shook her head and followed her son out, after stuttering out a quick apology to the ninjas.

"What a brat." Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance and sat down with a harrumph.

"I'm sorry," Tazuna muttered in a quiet tone. "Inari hasn't always been like this."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked quizzically. And then Tazuna told them about Kaiza, Inari's adopted father, who was like a Hero in the Land of Waves. But Gatou had him murdered, and ever since then, Inari has been depressed.

The once jolly atmosphere was now filled with tension. Everyone stared down with solemn looks.

**'Inari lost someone precious to him,'**  Inner muttered sadly, ' **No wonder he is sulking all the time.'**

Sakura slammed her fists on the table and stood up, startling everyone. Her pink brow quirked as she stared at her fellow gennin, unimpressed. "Well? Don't we have training to do?" She asked, "We do have to kick Gatou's and those missing-nin's asses, ya know."

Naruto beamed at her, while Sasuke smirked. "Right." The Uchiha drawled out, as Naruto whooped in joy and the three genin made their way out of the house. Kakashi watched them go fondly, and shook his head in exasperation.

_'They make such a good team…..'_ he thought fondly as he watched their backs as they went together, side by side, teasing and joking with each other.

* * *

"Ne, ne Kakashi-Sensei! What are you gonna teach us today?" Naruto exclaimed excitedly as he bounced on his feet, never standing still for even a moment.

"Well, Kakashi muttered as he eye-smiled at his cute little gennin who stared at him with wide, eager eyes. Leaning against the crutch, he chuckled and said "Today, I am going to teach you Tree Climbing."

Cue a dramatic pause.

Sakura gave him a bored look, while Sasuke scoffed at him and Naruto huffed and folded his arms, yelling "That's so lame, Sensei!"

Kakashi said "It's not lame, Naruto. See, I'm going to climb a tree without using my hands." Kakashi was expecting disbelieving or at least surprised looks on his cute little gennin's faces. What he got instead was deadpanned looks from the three of them.

"Yeah, you're going to use chakra on your feet and walk up on the tree, right?" Sakura said with an eye roll. "We already know how to do that, Sensei." She then muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "Baka-Sensei." which earned her a punch to the head.

Kakashi eyed his three students and drawled out "Care to show me?"

The three of them shared a glance and then shrugged in unison. "Sure." Each one of them picked a tree, and ran up on its' trunk vertically.

"Happy now, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura hollered from her perch on the top of the tree, along with the two boys who snickered at the Hatake's expense, making Kakashi give a long suffering sigh.

"Sassy much, eh?" he muttered under his breath. He then cleared his throat and shouted out to his students, "Alright, you proved your point. Will ou three get down from there now?"

The three of them shrugged and jumped down, landing on their feet before kakashi –except for Naruto, who stumbled and face planted on the ground, making Sakura roar out in laughter and Sasuke smirk at him. Naruto got up and scowled at the two of them, and yelled "Jeez, you could've helped me up instead of laughing at me, dattebayo!"

"Were's the fun in that?" Sasuke drawled out, and shared a high five with Sakura.

Kakashi clapped his hands, grabbing their attention and said in a cheery tone, leaking a small amount of Killing Intent. "If you're done with your antics, can we proceed with our training?"

The three genin gulped and nodded, with beads of sweat rolling down their neck.  **'Scary…..'**  Inner whimpered as he hid behind a couch- where the hell it came from, she had no idea.

"Alright," He said cheerily, "Since you already know Tree walking, I think it's time to teach you three each a jutsu of your chakra nature." The three genin cheered. "But first," he pulled out three papers from a storage scroll and handed one to each of them. "this is Chakra paper." He explained. "Push some chakra into it and it will determine your chakra affinity."

The three of them did as they were told. Naruto's split into two. Half of Sasuke's paper crinkled, while the other half burned to ashes. While Sakura's paper soaked wet, however, a corner of it burned into ashes.

Kakashi whistled, impressed. "My, my, we do have diverse affinities in our Genin team." He then turned to Naruto and said "Naruto, your chakra affinity is wind." He then stared at Sasuke and said "Sasuke, you have dual affinities- Lightening and Fire." Kakashi eyed Sakura's almost soaked chakra paper and said "You have a primary Water affinity Sakura, with a minor fire affinity."

Naruto sulked in a corner, rocking back and forth, amking Sasuke and Sakura shot incredulous looks at him. "No fair," he muttered depressingly, "how come I have only one affinity while that bastard has two. Even Sakura has two affinities!"

Sakura's eye twitched and she bonked his head with her fist. "What do you mean ' _even_  Sakura has two affinities?'!" She air quoted his previously spoken statement.

"A-Ah Sakura! I didn't mean you're weak or anythi-" He clasped his hand over his mouth as an angry aura surrounded Sakura. She cracked her knuckles murderously, and Naruto knew he was doomed. While Naruto was getting beaten up by Sakura, Sasuke rolled his eyes and muttered "Idiot."

Kakashi sweat dropped at their antics. "If you're done, can we focus on Jutsu training?" he asked out loud to his genin, who stared at him eagerly and replied in unison-

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Training was hard, but they persevered. By the end of the three days, Sasuke was the only one who mastered his Jutsu. Naruto needed to finesse his Wind chakra in a sharp form, and hence was closer to mastering it. While strangely, Sakura was the only one left behind. You would think that she would be the first one to master her Jutsu, considering the fact that she was smarter than her fellow teammates, and also had a voice in her head to help her out when she was in a jiff. However, the only thing stopping her from mastering the Jutsu was something very basic. It was an obstacle that also hindered her when she activates her sharingan. In fact, her problem was so basic that it can make even an Academy student face palm.

To put it simply, she did not have enough chakra.

The thing is, among her teammates, Naruto is the powerhouse who has tons amount of chakra in his body –so much that he can create thousands of shadow clones and it won't wind im up even for a moment. (where he stored all that chakra in that pint sized body of his, she has no idea.) While sasuke may not be a chakra powerhouse like Naruto, the amount of chakra he has is nothing to scoff at. Sakura, however, is the odd one out of her genin team, since has the least amount of chakra. Her chakra capacity is so pitiful that it can even embarrass a freshly entered Academy Student. The thing is, dearest readers, Sakura has chakra capacity just a little higher than a civilian adult (which isn't much for a Ninja, who has to shoot out big ass Jutsus to save their asses.)

Since the new Jutsu she is learning happens to be a low B rank water Jutsu, she can only perform it twice before her chakra levels turn low. And if she pushes for a third time, then she hits the brink of chakra exhaustion, which is  _not_ a pleasant experience considering the fact that it takes days to recuperate from chakra exhaustion. Why do you think Kakashi isn't roaming around, scaring his students and drilling them to the ground in the name of 'training'? A Jonin of Kakashi's caliber needs even more time to recuperate from chakra exhaustion, since they have bigger chakra reserves then genin. At least there's a plus point of having low chakra reserves- her recuperation rate is higher since she doesn't have much high chakra reserves to begin with.

"Damn it!" She hissed as once again her knees gave out, and she was left lying panting on the hard ground of the forest clearing she had been practicing. "At this rate, I won't be able to master the jutsu for weeks, and by that time we might even we go back to Konoha."

**'Maybe we should practice something else rather than wasting our chakra on such a chakra extensive technique?'**  Inner asked weakly. Though he knew she wouldn't agree with him until she masters this jutsu.  _Stubborn idiot._

_'Like what?_ ' She asked mentally as she pulled off her dark blue jacket and orange goggles and wiped off her sweat. Damn it is so hot here. Isn't Land of Waves supposed to have cooler climate?

**'Maybe we can practice our sharingan?'**  He asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, no." She deadpanned out loud as she flopped on her back and stared at the evening sky and it's various shades of pink and orange. Thank goodness the others left her alone to practice. If they had been here and caught her talking out loud all alone, they'd think she has gone crazy –more so than she already is. "Leaving a technique half assed isn't a good idea. Who knows? Maybe I'll need it in our upcoming fight." She muttered under her breath.

**'the sharingan can help us fight too, ya know?'** He piped in.

"And it drains way too much chakra once activated. Do you want me to keel over in first fifteen minutes of the fight?" she said dryly.

**'Good point.** _'_  He grumbled unhappily.

She sat up and sighed.  _'Let's head back and get something to eat. It will help restore our chakra reserves faster.'_  She hummed a tune under her breath, and grabbed her jacket and goggles and made her way back to Tazuna's house.

"I wonder what Naruto and Sasuke are doing right now." She wondered out loud.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kakashi sent both Sasuke and Naruto to the town to run some errands with Tazuna and guard him if any trouble arises. To them it was just a glorified babysitting task. The depressing state of the town made their mood plummet down even further.

Most of the shops were closed, and the ones that were open sold things at a very high price. The streets were dirty and filled with unemployed people and street rats. The people here had sullen looks on their faces.

"Things sure look bad here, huh." Naruto said as he took in the desolate scene.

"This is what happens when a country's economy is literally in the hands of a scum like Gatou." Sasuke muttered under his breath as he kept walking on next to Naruto.

"Here we are." Tazuna said uietly and the two boys followed him to the grocery store, where there wasn't much left in the name of groceries. The two boys shared a look, and sighed.

"How the hell people survive in this place, I have no idea." Naruto said, and Sasuke mumbled-

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but for once, I totally agree with you."

"Less talking, more shopping!" Tazuna ordered them around, making the boys roll their eyes.

"yes Sir." They said sarcastically.

While Sasuke and Naruto were busy looking through which groceries to buy, a thief sneaked behind Sasuke, eying his backpack and made a move to steal it. The moment his hand touched the backpack, Sasuke slammed his elbow into his gut, and sent him flying into the wall, crashing it into pieces. Tazuna and the store owner stared incredulously at the thief, who was twitching and groaning in pain, while Naruto huffed and exclaimed "Oi bastard, don't you think that was too much? He was just stealing, dattebayo, it's not like he attacked you or something."

The Uchiha scoffed and said "Be glad t isn't Sakura in my place. She would've leveled the store into dust in her fury."

Naruto paled and muttered "Point taken."

When they made their way back to Tazuna's house, Tazuna walked away an arm's length from the two genin, who stared at him in amusement. However, Sasuke's amusement turned to annoyance when once again, he felt a hand brush through his shirt. He turned around to punch the fucker to the ground but reeled in shock when he found himself staring at a young girl of five, her clothes dirty and torn, her hair a mess, and her way too thin body caked in mud. She stared at him with innocent brown eyes, and then smiled shyly and held out her hands in a begging gesture "Please?" she said softly, her eyes shining with barely restrained hope and hunger.

Naruto's eyes softened and he pulled out a few candies from his pocket that he had pick pocketed from Sakura's secret stash of sweets when she wasn't looking. "Here." He muttered quietly as he handed it to the little girl. Looking at her, he felt as if he was staring at a reflection of his past self. How many times had he slept in hunger, knowing that nobody in the village is willing to sell anything to a 'monster' like him? Staring at the young girl reminded him of all the hard times he had to endure in his childhood.

Sasuke pulled out a few coins from his pocket and gave it to the girl and muttered "Buy some sweets for your friends too." He eyed the group of children huddling in a corner of the street.

The young girl gave them a beaming smile that lightened their hearts. "thank you so much, Misters!" She then ran back to her friends with a happy smile on her face.

"this is how it has been since Gatou came here." Tazuna spoke softly, snapping the two boys out of their trance. "The children suffered, and the adults are afraid to stand up to up. They've lost all hope." They both stared at Tazuna, who clenched his fist and said "that's why I have to finish the bridge. It'll bring commerce and trade and more importantly the bridge is a symbol of courage." His eyes burned with determination. "We must restore the spirit of our people. When the bridge is finished, people will start to believe again. They will believe that they can live with dignity." He stared at the two genin and said "We can't let Gatou stop us."

Naruto whooped "Damn straight!"

Sasuke smirked and folded his arms. "As if a petty business like him can stop us."

Naruto snickered and said "I bet Sakura can pummel him to dust with a flick of her finger."

Sasuke snorted and muttered "I don't take losing bets, idiot."

Naruto glared at him, and snarled, "Who are you calling idiot, you bastard!"

Tazuna sighed in exasperation as the two boys got into an argument _, again_. "these two are impossible." He sweat dropped.

* * *

When they both got back to Tazuna's home, they found that Sakura still hasn't come back yet. They asked Kakashi about her, and he informed them that she hasn't come back yet. Worried, the two boys set off to get her back.

They returned back half an hour later, her arms slung around their shoulders as she limped to the dining table.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked quizzically, staring at sakura's exhausted face.

"The idiot was passed out some distance away from chakra exhaustion." Sasuke deadpanned as Sakura chuckled sheepishly.

"I blacked out when I was travelling back here from the clearing we were Training in." She said, and ducked her head when she saw Kakashi giving her a glare. "Oops?" she muttered weakly as his glare on her intensified.

"You're a medic, Sakura. You should know better than to waste your chakra like that. You know how detrimental Chakra Exhaustion can be." He scolded her.

Sasuke and Naruto helped her sit on a chair and she leaned on it and mumbled "Sorry sensei."

He then sighed and said "So, how was your training?"

She averted her eyes from him, looking everywhere but at him. He shot her a pitying look. He knew Sakura always tried to be on the same level as her teammates. It must've been hard for her to be so behind on a technique while her teammates have already surpassed it. He sighed and said "It matters not, from tomorrow onwards, you will come along with Naruto and Sasuke to guard Tazuna. You can practice your technique there if you want."

"Okay sensei." She muttered quietly and slumped on the table with exhaustion.

The dinner was a quiet affair. Tsunami served the dishes while everyone ate. Inari eyes the three genin as they teased each other and joked around. Sakura was teasing Sasuke about his fetish with tomatoes when Inari suddenly couldn't take their happy attitude anymore and snapped in anger.

"All this stupid training is just a waste of time!" He said angrily, his outburst startled the three of them. "Gatou's got a whole army! They'll beat you down and they'll destroy you! These cool things you all say, they don't mean anything! No matter what you do, the strong always win and the weak are crushed by them!"

The thick silence that remained after his outburst could be cut with a kunai. It was broken by Sasuke's quiet question.

"Are you done?" Sasuke muttered unimpressed as he quirked a brow at the younger boy who stared at him in shock and fury.

"What?!" Inari hissed at him.

Naruto rolled his eyes and said in a loud tone "Shut up, brat. I've had enough of your attitude. Damn, you're even worse than this bastard." Naruto ducked before Sasuke's punch could hit him, and then stuck out his tongue at the Uchiha, whose eyes twitched in annoyance. "Besides," Naruto said. "We're different. We won't get defeated so easily."

Sakura smiled sunnily at the boy and said softly "Believe us, Inari. We don't intend to leave until we defeat Gatou."

Inari's eyes flled with tears that rolled down his cheeks. He snarled at them. "Why don't you three be quiet! Just looking at you three acting so carefree makes me sick!" he snapped angrily. "You don't know anything about this country! Stop butting in other people's business! You three are always laughing and playing around and teasing each other as if you don't care about anything at all! You don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt! You don't know what it's like to be lonely!" Naruto gritted his teeth at his comment. "You don't know what it's like losing someone precious to you!" Sasuke clenched his fists murderously, barely stopping himself from lashing out on the brat, while Sakura's usually warm emerald green eyes froze into a jade green colour. "There is no such thing as a Hero! What is the use of being a hero when you can't protect what's precious to you?"

_._

_._

_._

_"Please protect this village and the honor of the Uchiha name." Shisui then said in a soft voice "….and Sakura too. Take care of her for me, please."_

_Shisui smiled warmly as he stepped off the cliff, accepting his death._

_._

_._

_._

Sakura slammed a chakra enhanced fist on the table, shattering it into pieces as the dishes placed on it fell on the ground, making various clankering sounds. Everyone present reeled back in shock at what happened. Sakura's whole form was trembling with barely restrained rage and her hands were clenched in fists. Her right eye leaked a tear that rolled down her right cheek, and her limps twisted up in a snarl.

"Shut the fuck up, you brat." She hissed at Inari, who cowered in terror at the face of a furious Sakura. "You think you're the only one suffering here? News Flash, Inari, you're not the only one who has suffered a loss! Have you ever thought that your mother and grandfather must be suffering too? Just because they're not a crybaby like you doesn't mean they didn't suffer the loss of their husband and son-law." She then said fiercely "And stop shouting stupid things at people you don't know anything about!" She grabbed his arms and tightened her grip, barely restraining to use chakra so as to snap his puny bones to pieces, making the younger boy cry out. "You don't know what we've been through, so stop judging others on their appearances! Just because we smile and laugh doesn't mean we don't know what losing someone precious to us is like!" Her grip tightened a bit more, bruising his arms. "We smile and laugh because we know that our dead precious people would want us to be happy, no matter what. They wouldn't want us sulking and wasting our lives that they've protected by giving up theirs."

"Sakura! That's enough!" Kakashi's stern command made her release the brat from her whole. Her expression flipped a 180 degree. She scoffed and pinned Inari a scathing look. "You're always whining and crying like a sorry little victim." she sneered at him. "People like you disgust me."

Inari reeled in shock at her venom filled statement, but she paid him no heed. Instead, she stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut behind her, making cracks appear on the wooden door as well as the wall. A tense silence settled in the room, which was disturbed by Sasuke who stood up and followed Sakura out. Naruto sighed and shook his head.

"You messed up, kid." He shot Inari a pitying look and said "Though you shouldn't have said that." He scratched the back of his head and said in a solemn tone. "I know what it is like to be lonely. I never knew my parents, and I never had any friends until Sakura literally bumped into my life, dragging Hinata with her. I was a street rat for the long time, and I lived on street to survive, until the Hokage allowed me to live in an apartment of my own and gave me monthly allowance." He then paused and stared down at his hands "Sasuke's entire clan, along with his parents, was killed when he was eight. And Sakura….." he bit his lip, "A few years ago, her brother committed suicide." He chuckled morosely, "He was a Hero to her, so it was a huge blow for her when she came to know that."

Naruto glanced up at Inari and gave him a sad smile. It made the younger boy want to vomit his dinner. He didn't like the sad smile on the blonde's face. He looked better when he was beaming happily and chattering excitedly with his friends, and not looking so sad and solemn. "You see, we all have suffered too, Inari." Naruto said. "Just because we are strong enough to smile everyday doesn't mean we have suffered any less."

He then stood up and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly "I gotta go and calm Sakura before she demolishes the whole Island." He rushed out of the room, but not before waving in goodbye and yelling "Thanks for the dinner, Tsunami! The food was great!"

Four pairs of eyes watched him as he went to console his friend, leaving them behind pondering on his words.

* * *

"That brat, how dare he-" Sakura hissed as she punched a tree with chakra enhanced fist, demolishing it.

**'hey, hey, Sakura! No need to be so angry!'**  Her Inner said as he held up his hands in surrender not that she can see him considering her mindscape is nothing but a dark void. 'He is just a kid! He didn't know what he was saying.'

_'Don't tell me you aren't angry at his words.'_  Sakura said mentally, to which he replied quietly.

**'I am angry at him. But that doesn't mean I go scaring away any person who piss me off, especially those who are harmless, innocent civilians.'**

She quieted down for a while, and then groaned.  _'I hate it when you make sense.'_

' **Hey!'**  His offended tone made her quirk up a smile.

_'You suppressed my anger and calmed me down again, didn't you?'_

**'If I didn't, you would've harmed yourself even further and lost every ounce of chakra you have restored.'**

' _What do you-'_

She couldn't even make a coherent sentence as chakra exhaustion hit her and she realised that in her bout of anger she used up all her restored chakra punching and kicking with chakra enhanced fists. She groaned and stumbled down on the ground. "Sometimes, I hate my explosive temper."

Inner chuckled and said  **'At least you didn't blow up the house like you did the last time when you had a fit.'**

She moaned in embarrassment, letting her head fall in her hands and muttered mentally  _'Don't remind me.'_

His booming laugh echoed around her mindscape, making her lips twitch upwards.

"You're such a bloody idiot, you know that?" Sasuke said to her as he jogged towards her.

"hello to you too Sasuke." She greeted him sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes and sat next to her, her hands glowing green as he scanned her body. He glared at her and said "You regressed your recovery by three days. What is your excuse?"

She chuckled nervously and scratched the back of her head sheepishly "The brat had it coming…..?" She said nervously.

He paused and hummed in contemplation. "Good point." He said in a quiet tone, and she beamed at him, making him roll his eyes. He gave her a few medical pills for chakra exhaustion from his medic kit that she downed with a gulp.

"You know you'd make a good medic Sasuke." Sakura muttered as Sasuke fussed over her.

He rolled his eyes and said "You're doing a great job of being medic, I don't need tow aste my time on it too."

"There is no such thing as enough medics." She quipped back at him, to which he shot her an unimpressed look.

"hey guys!" Naruto yelled as he rushed towards them. "So what did I miss?" He asked when he saw Sakura smiling slightly and Sasuke being his emo self as usual.

"Nothing much, Naruto." Sakura shrugged and then smirked mischievously, "Sasuke here was just declaring his undying love for you." She said dramatically.

She had never seen anyone doing a spit take faster than them.

* * *

_**Some days later...** _

"That damn Naruto," Sakura sighed as her glowing green hands hovered over the blonde's body. "He overdid his training last night and his chakra reserves are low. What the hell was he doing last night anyways?"

"He was perfecting his Wind Jutsu." Sasuke muttered quietly.

She snapped her head at him. "You mean he has mastered it already?!" She asked with wide eyes.

Sasuke nodded in answer.

She whistled in awe as she stared down at the snoring blonde. "Damn that's impressive." She then sulked and muttered "I still haven't mastered mine yet. I'm so pathetic."

Kakashi chuckled at her antics, while Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Oh quit it Cherry, we have better things to do." He quipped.

She shot him a look. "Cherry?" She deadpanned. "that's the best insult you could come up with, Chicken?"

"Like Chicken is any better." Sasuke scoffed.

"Why you-"

Kakashi sighed and muttered sarcastically "Girls, girls, you're both pretty. Now can we move on to our work?" the glare both of them sent him would have made any lesser man run for the hills, too bad he was immune to such looks. To him they looked like adorable little kittens trying to be intimidating.  _How cute._

"Let's leave Naruto sleep in for some time, while we head for the bridge along with Tazuna." Kakashi suggested. "Naruto can join us once he is awake."

"In that case," Sakura said with a sunny smile. "there is something I want to try out."

"What are you-" Sasuke was cut off when Sakura did some hand signs and slammed her hand down and cried out-

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A poof of smoke appeared and soon the members of Team seven sans Naruto found themselves staring at three baby bears the size of Sakura's arm. The three of them had similar dark brown eyes and white fur, however, the colour of the curved markings of their bodies were different.

"Sasuke, Kakashi-Sensei, meet my personal summons- Yukishirou siblings!" Sakura announced in a smug tone as she gestured to the three baby bears.

The bear with red markings on his body shot her an annoyed look, "What is it do you want now, brat?!" Rou hissed angrily at his summoner, "You disturbed our nap time! It better be something important or I swear I will rip out your innards and make you watch as I chew them out."

A shiver of terror ran down the humans' spine as they shifted nervously. Sakura's face dusted with pink as her summons embarrassed her before her team.

Shi, the one with green markings on her body bumped into Rou and said softly. "Be more respectful of our summoner, brother." Rou just scoffed and looked away with a huff.

The one with the blue markings, Yuki, yawned and muttered "Rou, you're such a baby."

"What did you say?!" Rou rounded up on Yuki, who sent him an unimpressed look.

"Are you deaf or something? Maybe you should let Shi check up on you."

"WHY YOU-!"

Kakashi groaned in horror. "Oh God, not another Naruto and Sasuke pair."

"WE'RE NOT LIKE THOSE INSOLENT HUMANS OUR SUMMONER SPENDS HER TIME WITH!" Both the male bears roared in unison, making the three humans wince.

"Jeez, they sure are loud." Sasuke muttered.

Kakashi asked quizzically "How do they know about Naruto and Sasuke?"

Sakura said "Naruto has met Yukishirou some years ago along with Hinata when I stared summoning them, and Sasuke met them during one of our Training sessions. That reminds me," she scratched her cheek "I didn't introduce them to you, did I Sensei?"

Kakashi shook his head in negative. She sighed and muttered, "here goes nothing." She pointed towards Yuki, who had blue markings, "This is Yuki, the eldest of Yukishirou siblings. He has Wind and Water affinities, and is good at Information gathering and general spy work." She then pointed to the one with green markings, "Shi is the youngest among them, and has a earth affinity. She is also the medic of the group." Her green eyes then fell on the one with red markings, who now shot her a death glare, to which she face palmed. "The grumpy one with red markings is Rou, who is an expert bomber and seals master. His affinity, is predictably, Fire." She then smiled warmly and said "Together, these three are unstoppable. They are expert trackers and though their best ability is to communicate telepathically with each other." At the bewildered looks of her Sensei and teammate, she exclaimed, "I'm not joking, really! They can really talk to each other telepathically, I think it's because of their triplet bond." When the two male members of her team shot her an unimpressed look, she said confusedly "What? Didn't I tell you the three of them are triplets?"

"No." Kakashi and Sasuke said dryly.

Sakura scratched the back of her head and said "Ehehehehehehehe, oops?"

"Why do we have an idiot for a summoner?" Yuki muttered tiredly.

Shi licked her paw and said softly "I don't know, I like her the way she is."

Rou scoffed and said "She is so annoying!" Though the light blush on his cheeks didn't went unnoticed by his siblings as Rou stared at their Summoner from the corner of his eyes.

"He is such a Tsundere." Yuki and Shi deadpanned in unison.

* * *

 

_**EXTRA:-** _

Sayuri absently hummed a tune under her breath as she took in the vitals of her patient. She wrote something on her notepad and turned to grab a syringe and filled it with a transparent liquid. She then injected the liquid with the help of syringe in his arm, and once again checked his vitals. Her jade eyes were pinned on the heart monitor as she watched his pulse and sighed in relief when she saw that her medicine didn't affect her patient in a worse way.

"Get up soon, my dear." She patted her patient's hand and whispered softly. "Your dear one is waiting for you to wake up."

She then turned and made her way to the door, however, she suddenly froze as her eyes flashed red, and morphed into a pentagram pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan, and her dojutsu was activated.

_._

_._

_._

_Sakura's green eyes widened and she coughed up blood and glanced up at the boy before him, who stared back at her with hurt and anguish. His mangekyo sharingan eyes stared into her own sharingan, his hand deeply embedded into her chest, crushing her heart. "Oh shit…" He whispered in horror at what he had done._

_"Sa-su-ke…?" She whispered hoarsely, as the raven haired boy's eyes spilled tears down his cheeks._

_A cry of anguish sounded from behind her, and the pink haired girl turned her head a bit to stare at the blonde boy from the corner of her eyes, whose eyes flashed from blue to red from time to time, tears running down his cheeks as he choked out a sob. His right hand pierced through her lower back and crushed her liver as well as her gut._

_"No, No- sakura, I- NO-!" Naruto mumbled incoherently and tried his best to not hyperventilate._

_"Na-ru-to….?" She muttered softly, as agonizing pain shifted through her body at the point of contact where the two of them pierced their hands through her body._

_To the horror of the both of them, she smiled her warm smile at them, and whispered "I-It's a-a-alright." She coughed up more blood, that trailed down her lips, and dripped down her chin. "I-I f-f-f-forgive you, Naruto, S-Sasuke."_

_"SAKURA!"_

_._

_._

_._

Sayuri gasped and stumbled in shock as her Mangekyo shifted back to the normal sharingan, and the three tomoes spun wildly in her eyes. Blood dripped down her eyes, which she wiped away from the back of her hand.

"What is the meaning of this?" She hissed as she stared at the blood in her hands, trembling slightly as the vision replayed in her mind.

"Why now?" She whispered as she slumped her shoulders. "After decades of remaining in an inactive state, why did you activate now,  _Mirai_?"

She sighed and muttered "Why would you show me these visions now, my stupid eyes?"

She let her head fall in her hands and choked out a sob. "First Obito, then Shisui and now Sakura. Why do you intend to take away my grandchildren from me, O cursed vision of mine?"


	12. The Last member of my Family.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The awaiting showdown between Zabuza and his companions and Team Seven is finally here!

Naruto yawned and rubbed his eyes as he woke up. He stretched his arms a bit and sighed in content. Well, that was before he realized that his teammates futons were placed in a corner, neatly folded, while they were nowhere to be seen. Fearing the worst, he screamed and ran around like a headless chicken, until a soft cough snapped him out of his stupor. He looked down, only to find a white bear cub with green markings sitting in a corner, staring at him with an unimpressed look.

"Oh hey!" Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "You're one of Sakura's bears right?" he tapped his chin, trying to remember the bear's name. "You're Shou –or something?"

CRUNCH!

That earned him a bite to his ass, which once again rendered him screaming around like a headless chicken, yelling curses at Sakura and her stupid summons.

Tsunami ran into the room, wondering what this entire ruckus is, and sweat dropped when she saw the scene before her. She shook her head and muttered "Nope, I'm not even going to ask. This way lays madness." She then snapped the door shut and walked away.

When Naruto finally managed to make the bear release his butt, he scowled at it and yelled "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, YOU STUPID MAMMAL?!"

The bear scoffed and glared at him. "That was for getting my name wrong! My name is Shi, not something as stupid as Shou!"

He shot her a look of disbelief. "You attacked me just because of that?"

Shi said "Oh? Won't you be offended if someone butchered your name? Me-n-ma?"

Naruto grimaced. Okay, so yeah he gets the point. He would totally hate anyone who calls him by that stupid name. Because Menma toppings are stupid. Ramen made with Naruto maki is the food of gods. However, cooking ramen with Menma toppings is just  _wrong_. That's right. Naruto downright  _hated_  Menma toppings. He would probably throttle anyone who dares get his name wrong. Especially if they call him Menma.

"What's wrong with Shou anyway?" Naruto asked curiously "I think it's a pretty name."

"Yup. For a boy." Shi muttered, rolling her eyes.

And then Naruto remembered a tiny fact about the little bear he had once heard from Sakura. Shi is usually, a gentle and calm bear; however, she is a hard core feminist. Anyone –or anything- that dares question her feminism is in for a ride to hell – _literally_. And the bear is very sensitive of her feminist rights, even if they are as silly as being mistaken for a boy. This can be due to the fact that she has been born with two bears as triplets, and also the fact that bears are summons with male dominant hierarchy, and it makes Shi bitter. It really is a good thing that the summoners of bear contract for the past few decades has been females only, otherwise any poor male summoner having the unfortunate luck of summoning Shi would have been dead by now.

"So…" Naruto asked curiously. "Where are the others?"

"They've gone ahead. They left me here to take care of you since you have chakra exhaustion." Her paws glowed green as she placed them over him and then frowned. "Although that can be debated since your chakra reserves seems almost full." She stared at him with piercing brown eyes, making Naruto look everywhere but at her. "I've never seen anyone recuperating that fast from chakra exhaustion."

"I must be very special then…." His comment sounded more like a question as he gulped down nervously and ducked his head under Shi's piercing glare. He didn't actually want to explain to her that his quick chakra recuperation is thanks to the nine tailed fox sealed in his gut.

Shi's stare softened and she muttered "Don't worry, Naruto. I won't pry. It's none of my business, after all."

He sighed in relief. The bear turned around and said "Come on, you need to get ready and have your breakfast. Then –if you want- we can head for the bridge where your rest of team is."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered.

Naruto took a quick shower and changed into his clothes and once again checked into his weapons pouch. Yup, everything's there.

"Hey Shi-" He begun saying as he approached the bear, but she growled lowly at him, making him jump.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?" he cried out, and glared back at the little bear

She sniffed the air, and motioned her head towards the window. Curious, Naruto made his way towards the window and glanced out, and found himself staring at two men –by the looks of them, they seem like bandits -or maybe those hired civilian mercenaries- who were making their way towards Tazuna's house.

"So, what's your plan Naruto?" Shi asked as she licked her paw, her green markings glowing ominously in broad daylight.

Naruto smirked and cracked his knuckles "Kick their asses, what else?"

* * *

**'Leaving Naruto back was a horrible,** **_horrible_ ** **idea.'**

_'Yeah, I could definitely do with another pair of limbs to help me out.'_  Sakura grunted as she dodged another strike from demon brothers, and skipped a few steps back.

When Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura, along with Tazuna reached the bridge, they found most of the workers bleeding from life threatening wounds, and Zabuza's cruel laughter as he and his lackeys made their presence known. Zabuza ordered the fake hunter nin to attack, however before Sakura could react, Sasuke jumped into the fight, meeting every strike with perfect ease with his two tomoe sharingan spinning in his eyes. (And wasn't that a surprise for her? Why hadn't he told her he had activated his sharingan? Granted, she also never told him about hers, but still….She thought he would've told her that little fact before jumping in a fight. Bastard.)

Zabuza then attacked Tazuna and was intercepted by Kakashi, leaving the demon brothers who kept smirking superiorly at her. She instructed Yuki and Rou to protect the client –making Tazuna bitch and moan to her about leaving his safety to two bear cubs, and she snapped at him and told him to  _quit it, or did he want to stand in the middle of a shinobi battle, undefended?_ That had him shut up quicker than she thought.) So now she, an ickle bickle genin, is fighting two chunin level shinobi who have been following Zabuza –the Demon of the Hidden Mist- for years. You don't need to rack your brains to conclude that she is royally screwed.

Stupid Sasuke. Why did he have to jump so eagerly into the fight? She could've used some back up, ya know? They could've contacted Naruto with the telepathy link of the bear triplets, and could've fended off the Demon Brothers, as well as that fake Hunter Nin until Naruto came. And then he could've gone to play with his prey as much as he wanted to

But know, the stupid Uchiha had to go on his own, and leave her all alone to the mercy of two bloodthirsty chunin. If she comes out of this alive, she will pull the stupid chicken, and the orange menace by their years and lecture them about team formations and priorities till their ear bleed,  _literally._

**'Duck!'**

_'Where?'_

Face palming, Inner took momentary control of her body and ducked down, and good timing too, since a water bullet just shot past where her head had just been.

**'I wasn't talking about the bird, you moron.'**  Her Inner scolded her as he gave the control of her body back t her.  **'Stop getting distracted Outer!'**

_'Easier said than done!'_  she said in a seething tone as she could definitely hear clanking of weapons and a huge amount of Killing Intent where Kakashi was fighting with Zabuza, as well as the tinkering of senbon needles where Sasuke was facing the fake Hunter Nin.

**'Well, it's good for practice, I guess…'**  He muttered uncertainly

She dodged another kick aimed for her, and punched one of the minions straight to the gut, and sent them staggering backwards at the force of her punch.

_'Practice? It's full out war here!'_

**'War? Now you're exaggerating, Outer.'**

She ducked as the blade of the katana almost severed her head, and only managed to nick her cheek, making it bleed out a bit. She got hold of it, and ignoring how the blade cut into her skin, she channeled chakra into her hand, and with her monstrous strength, she managed to break the annoying weapon into pieces –at the cost of bruising her knuckle bones.

**'Oh boy….. Sasuke's gonna go full medic mode on you, ya know?'**  Inner commented nonchalantly as she winced at her injury, but kept on fighting.

_'Stop distracting me Inner! I'm in the middle of a fight here!'_

* * *

"We want the bridge builder not you." The fake hunter Nin said in his soft voice as he and Sasuke exchanged blows. "If you back down, I won't have to kill you."

"Not gonna happen." Sasuke said with a smirk as he threw some shuriken at him, which the other boy dodged.

"You're making a mistake. If you fight me, you will end up dying." The Fake Hunter Nin spoke as he did one handed signs, and water needles appeared, surrounding them, facing Sasuke.

"We'll see about that." Sasuke muttered, eying the water needles warily, and jumped out of the way as soon as they flew towards him to miam him.

He sighed in relief as he skidded some distance away from the spot he had been attacked just now.

_'That was a narrow escape.'_

* * *

Zabuza eyed the two genins fighting his underlings, and was surprised to find that the boy was parrying blow to blow with Haku, and the pink haired brat was keeping the Demon brothers in their toes.

_'What are these brats…?'_  he thought as he slung the Executioner blade towards Kakashi, who stopped it mid swing with his kunai.

"You made a big mistake mocking my team, Zabuza Momochi." Kakashi stated as his lone sharingan eye glared at the Mist Missing Nin. "Sasuke is the best rookie genin in the Hidden Leaf Village in terms of skills, while Sakura has a sharp mind that can give even a Nara a run for his money, while Naruto is the most unpredictable Ninja of the Leaf." His glare intensified and he said, "They are not brats trying to play Ninja, they are genin under my supervision. I will not have you insulting my students."

.

* * *

Naruto tied the two thugs with a rope and brushed off dirt from his orange jumpsuit. He scratched the back of his neck and muttered "Well, that was easy" he then turned towards Tsunami and Inari- the former assuring the latter that she was fine, and he hollered at them "Tsunami! Inari! Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" Both of them answered to him.

The two thugs had been harassing Tsunami and dragging her towards Gatou's base, while Inari had been trying his best to help his mother out when Naruto had arrived downstairs after untangling from the sheets – _he still has no idea how he got tangled in them in the first place. Shi accuses that he is the one who forgot to fold his futon and blankets and hence, it is entirely his fault._   _He firmly disagrees_. So yeah, anyway, he beat the thugs up and saved the day, end of story.

"Thank you so much, Naruto…." Tsunami said softly and bowed down to him in gratitude. "If you hadn't been here, I don't know what would've happened to me." She said, her voice trembling in fear.

"Nothing would've happened t you tsunami." Naruto said coaxingly. "After all, you have one brave son to protect you." He then ruffled Inari's hair, who stared at him gobsmacked.

"B-But I couldn't do anything….." Inari muttered as he shuffled his feet nervously.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked quizzically "You stood up against those thugs and tried your best to protect your Mom. That was a brave thing to do. You are a Hero, Inari." He gave him a sunny smile. "A Hero's duty is to protect his precious people, remember?"

Tears sprang in Inari's eyes and he wiped them quickly. Damn it… he had promised he won't cry again. Then why aren't these tears stopping?

"It's okay to cry, you know." Naruto said softly when he saw how vigorously Inari was wiping his eyes. "Those are happy tears, after all. Let them flow."

Inari sniffled and nodded and let the tears flow. Naruto just gave him a beaming smile and ruffled the brat's hair.

"If you're done, we need to get on to the bridge." Shi said in her soft voice, and Naruto yelled-

"AH! I FORGOT ABOUT THAT! SAKURA'S GONNA KILL ME!"

.

* * *

_"Hidden Jutsu! Crystal Ice Mirrors!"_

A dome of mirrors surrounded Sasuke from all sides, trapping him in. He eyes the mirrors warily and activated his sharingan.

"I'm sorry that it has come to this….." the Fake Hunter Nin said softly.

And then a scream ripped through Sasuke's throat as a barrage of senbons was thrown towards him from all sides.

The senbons came from every side. There was no way to go. There was no escape.

There was only Ice.

* * *

Zabuza barked out a laugh as he felt the temperature drop down to several degrees, and one of Kakashi's genins let out a scream.

"Seems like Haku got serious." Zabuza muttered as he did some hand signs and the mist around them became denser. "Your genin is as good as dead now, Kakashi."

Kakashi just gripped his kunai tightly and glared with his lone sharingan eye.

* * *

Sasuke's scream momentarily distracted Sakura, and her momentary lapse of attention was enough for the demon brothers to knock her down on the ground, her left leg wrapped up with chained claws of one of them.

She tried to stand up, but pain flared up from her leg as the claws dug into them, making them bleed.

"Now you die!" One of the Demon Brothers yelled as they moved on to attack her.

**'Shit! Sakura!'**

_'I'm fine!'_  she somehow tried to reassure her inner as she frantically griped an explosive tag and wrapped it around her kunai and threw it at her opponents, who dodged the oncoming kunai.

The kunai stuck into a beam that supported the bridge, and exploded with a deafening sound, and the whole bridge shook from the impact.

Some support beams balanced over the pillars got loose and one of them fell down, right over where Sakura and the demon brothers were present. Sakura blanched as Zabuza's lackeys shunshined before they could be crushed by the beams, however she herself could not even crawl away,  _no thanks to her injured leg._  She scrambled to move away as fast as she could but to her unfortunate luck the beams were just above her.

For some reason, she imagined the steel beams as large rocks falling down over her, intent on crushing her beneath their weight, but the image was gone before she could question it's meaning. Sakura's heart leaped through her throat as the beams were almost upon her.

**'NO!'**  Inner screamed in her mindscape as Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the impending doom.

_"Flash Step!"_

Only to feel herself being grabbed in the nick of time and being carried towards safety.

_Huh?_

She opened her eyes, and found herself staring at her blonde menace of a best friend. "Naruto!" she beamed at her friend, who was carrying her in his arms in bridal style.

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto said with a sunny smile. "Naruto Uzumaki is here at your service, dattebayo!"

.

* * *

The two third of Sakura's summons -Yuki and Rou- had been assigned to guard Tazuna –just in case a Jutsu goes haywire or something- by Sakura, and in the end both of them decided to take Tazuna to a safe spot for the duration of the fight, since a civilian in the midst of a shinobi battle will only be hindrance to their allies. After leaving Tazuna in a Fuinjutsu Barrier created by Rou –and assuring that No harm will come to him as long as he stays in the range of the seal- they took off towards the bridge.

"Shi's here." Yuki said softly as he felt the connection with their sister with green markings getting stronger.

Rou licked the red markings over his paw and scoffed "About damn time!"

Yuki and Rou cautiously made their way towards their summoner –thanks to their tracking skills- and were soon joined by Shi.

"So, what did I miss?" Shi muttered as she trotted towards her brothers.

Rou was about to retort something sarcastic but clicked his jaws shut when Yuki bumped into him lightly and gave him a warning look.

"We don't know," Yuki answered her, as his eyes darted around warily "We were guarding the civilian the entire time."

Shi eyed her brothers while running beside them, and noticed their respective blue and red markings darkening slightly. She sighed and said soft "So I'm not the only one eager to jump in a fight….. good to know…."

Rou and Yuki exchanged a look and let out a cackle.

"Indeed….." Yuki muttered with a bloodthirsty chuckle as he glanced at the darkening green markings on her fellow sister's fur.

* * *

Sakura let out a pained yelp as soon as she let her injured foot hit the concrete.

**'Ow…Ow... Ow... that hurts….'**

"Sakura? Are you alright?" Naruto asked in concern as he let Sakura stand down n her own.

Sakura wanted to snarl at him  _"Of course I'm not okay!"_  but stopped when Inner reminded her that there's no need to let out her anger and frustration on Naruto. If anyone deserves the anger, it is the fucker who injured her in the first place.

"I am fine Naruto," Sakura said with a sharp breath. And then her green eyes darkened and she hissed "But they won't be for long…."

Naruto gulped and scooted away from his pink haired teammate who was leaking killing intent. He truly pitied the fool who pissed her off.

Naruto cleared his throat and reminded her "Before that, we need to get to Sasuke" He then scratched the back of his head and said "Where the hell is the bastard, by the way?"

"He is fighting the fake Hunter Nin," Sakura replied with a shrugged, and sent some bent down and healed her bleeding foot. It won't bleed anymore, but it will hurt for a while.

Inner added as an afterthought  **'Sakura, I don't know why, but that fake Hunter Nin's chakra feels eerily familiar…..'**

"All by himself?" Naruto exclaimed and then scowled heavily "That damn bastard! Always acting so high and mighty-"

"We have better things to do than to rant about Sasuke." Sakura said dryly as she ignored the pain stabbing through her leg and made her way through the thick mist, and Naruto followed behind her. Due to the mist jamming Inner's sensory range, Sakura –who has always relied on Inner's sensory skills- felt as if she was left blind.

_'Damn! I hate this jutsu!'_  Sakura scowled and glowered at the mist shrouding them.

**'But don't you think it'll be a a huge help if we were the ones who casted it? Just think about it….. my sensory skills added combined with the Hiding in the Mist Jutsu….. Oh the possibilities!'** Her inner was drooling at the thought. Sakura face palmed.

It is strange that even though Inner is a moron –to a suicidal degree- concerning many other things, he can be quite a genius when it comes down to Ninjutsu and it's uses. It's scary how proficient he is with ninjutsu's uses. It's like he has an experience of a lifetime under his belt.

_'Quit drooling Inner,'_ Sakura thought dryly  _'We are in the midst of a battle.'_

**'Right, right.'**

"What's that?" Naruto asked as he pointed at something when the mist cleared a bit.

Sakura shivered at the sudden decrease in temperature that she felt and glanced up to find herself staring at an icy dome. She narrowed her eyes as she felt Sasuke's and the fake hunter nin's chakra coming from there, though the former's chakra was weak, like a flickering flame.

"Sasuke's there" Sakura said sharply, "And he isn't looking well."

"Shit." Naruto hissed angrily as they both sped up towards the icy dome, but suddenly Inner screamed in alarm and akura grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him to the side. And at the right moment too, coz a water bullet shot past where Naruto had been just a second ago

"I apologise, but we can't let you pass." The Demon brothers said with identical bloodthirsty grins on their faces.

**'They don't even look apologetic!'**  Inner said, offended.

_'Well, what would you expect? They're our enemies._ ' Sakura retorted mentally.

Naruto took a step forward and grinned cheerily as he cracked his knuckles. "Well then, we'll just have to pound you to the ground and make our way ourselves. Right Sakura?"

"You got it Naruto!" the pink haired genin muttered as she clenched her hands to a fist, and got ready for another fight.

* * *

Sasuke panted as he knelt on the ground, wincing in pain as the senbons embedded in his body made him bleed bit by bit He tried to stand up again, and wobbled, feeling dizzy due to the blood loss. Even with his sharingan, he has to admit that the fake Hunter Nin is strong. He is like on a whole other level.

_'If I can't handle this guy how can I even think of defeating Itachi?'_  Sasuke thought with a grimace.

"You've barely enough chakra left." The soft voice of his opponent rang throughout the icy dome, annoying Sasuke even further. The asshole doesn't even look winded, while Sasuke is left here looking like a porcupine, wheezing and groaning coz of the senbons. "Why don't you admit defeat?"

"Never…." Sasuke panted as he stood up once more, and braced himself. Grand Fireball jutsu doesn't work, he had tried it earlier. The icy mirrors are thicker and have dense amount of chakra into them, strengthening them. For the same reason, Phoenix Flower jutsu won't work too, then what will work…..?

He blinked as a memory flashed through his mind…..

_._

_._

_._

_Kakashi grinned cheerily and clapped his hands "Alright, so the Jutsu I'm going to teach you right now is a C ranked jutsu." Sasuke listened to his instructions intently. What? It's not every day that team Seven's lazy Sensei actually teaches them something. "It needs good chakra control as well as a fine grasp of fire affinity. Assuming that your chakra control must be better by now thanks to Sakura's medic lessons, as well as the various fire jutsus you have in your arsenal, that makes me believe that you can learn this jutsu in no time."_

_Sasuke nodded. "Hn, so what is this jutsu?"_

_The silver haired Jonin eye smiled and said "It goes like this….."_

_._

_._

_._

He smirked.  _Now that can work._

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke clenched his fist.  _Refine your chakra….._

"Why…..?" The fake Hunter Nin asked hesitatingly "Why won't you back down and admit defeat?"

_Control it…_

_Suppress it….._

"Because there's someone I have to kill…" Sasuke's sharingan spun wildly with hatred as he thought of his own brother who massacred his entire clan.

_And now… Release it in one go!_

"And I won't stop until I defeat him!" Sasuke snarled as he rushed forward, his fist enveloped with his chakra, the flames licking his arm but not burning it.

_"Fire Style! Flame Fist!"_

He punched his fist that was on fire – _literally_ \- through one of the mirrors. The mirror resisted for a while, but then groaned and shattered into a million pieces as Sasuke's dense Fire chakra overwhelmed the Ice. The cracks grew from there, and crawled all the way through the top. And then the icy dome shattered, and fell down like a million icy shards falling from the sky.

And in the midst stood his opponent, panting and wheezing at the force of his fire fist.

"Impressive…" The masked boy whispered. "You are stronger than I had thought you were." He sighed and said "Looks like I will have to get serious too….." he muttered as he did hand signs. He then stared at sasuke in remorse –not that the Uchiha could see, thanks to his hunter nin mask- andsaid "I'm really sorry for this….."

His hand signs completed as he whispered  _"Icy Style! Ice Lance!"_

* * *

.

* * *

"The brat destroyed Haku's ice dome…?"

"Impossible!"

_'Haku?'_  Sakura thought with narrowed eyes.  _'Where have I heard that name before?'_

**'Hey! Isn't it that guy-'**

Inner was cut off when he sensed a sudden surge of chakra coming from where the icy dome stood just a moment ago. A chakra that was definitely not Sasuke's.

Sakura's eyes widened.  ** _'CRAP!'_**

Before she could even think thoroughly, her body just  _moved._ One moment she was fighting the demon brothers alongside Naruto, and the next she found herself standing before Sasuke, her stomach pierced by a thick and pointed Ice lance. She distantly saw the afterimages of her form as she had body flickered from a distance away.

_'Heh….. so this is Body Flicker….. Shisui style….. huh.'_

Suddenly, pain exploded through her body as she coughed up blood, that dripped down her mouth. She could heard Naruto and Sasuke's scream in background, as well as her favorite summons Yukishirou siblings roaring in rage, but she didn't seem to care. All she wanted to do was scream in agony.

Dark spots blurred her vision, and she could feel herself going numb.

**'Shit! Outer, don't close your eyes!'**

She couldn't even feel her stabbed wound anymore. Sure, there was still pain… but it was distant.

**'Goddammit! Keep your eyes open, you pink haired menace!'**

There was a bone chilling coldness settling inside her. Her eyes felt heavy, and all she wanted to do was to sleep.

**'No! Sakura Haruno! Don't you dare close your eyes!'**

"Inner…" She slurred, not knowing that she was speaking loudly, "I'm feeling sleepy….."

**'Please don't-'**

His voice was cut off as she was plunged into darkness.

.

* * *

Naruto's throat was hoarse as he screamed Sakura's name again and again. Sakura –his teammate, his crush, his  _best friend_ \- was impaled by an Ice lance. Sakura-  _his_  Sakura- was coughing up blood. Naruto didn't need to be a medic like Sakura and that teme Sasuke to know that the hit was critical. Sakura won't survive.

_It's my entire fault._  He thought mororsely.  _'I should've moved faster. I should've been there instead of Sakura.'_

_It's my fault…._

_My fault….._

_Entirely my fault…._

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut as tears escaped from them. These Missing Nin, they killed Sakura. They will  **pay!**

His eyes snapped open, and they gleamed an eerie red. A demonic grin made it's way to his lips, the whisker marks on his cheeks were even more pronounced. Red chakra surrounded him, flaming his rage and hatred. The Demon brothers backed away from the blonde boy, who  _obviously_  has gone berserk.

He gave a bloodthirsty grin and whispered  **"I will kill you all,"**  His tongue then licked his lower lip, and sent a shiver of terror down is opponents' spine.  **"and enjoy every second of it."**

* * *

_'No….'_

Sasuke thought numbly as Sakura's body slid downwards, laying face first on the concrete floor of the bridge. The ice was melting, and the blood pooling around her. The fake hunter nin's attack had been fast,- _so fast that even his sharingan couldn't catch up to it_ \- and before he even knew what was happening, Sakura – _that damn cherry!_ \- stood before him, a spiky piece of ice stabbing her stomach.

If he had been faster to dodge, she wouldn't be lying on the ground, not breathing. It was his fault. How could he be so useless? How could he be so incompetent that he let her get stabbed while he stood there, doing  _nothing_?

Memories of past flashed before his eyes…

_._

_._

_._

_.Shisui and Itachi shared an amused look. Itachi then looked down at Sasuke and said "Sasuke, this is Sakura. Shisui's sister."_

_At the same time, Shisui pointed his thumb towards Sasuke and said "Sakura, this is Itachi's little brother, Sasuke."_

_(Cue a two minute silence.)_

_And then both of them yelled in unison-_

_"YOU ARE SHISUI'S SISTER?!"_

_"YOU ARE ITACHI'S BROTHER?!"_

_._

_._

_._

_Sasuke placed his hands in his pocket and looked at her intensely. The weight of his stare did not even faze her. He sighed and said in a quiet, but strong tone "You will be fine."_

_She glanced up at him, and saw him smile at her for the first time. He placed his hand over her shoulder and squeezed it. "I know you will." He gave her a closed eye smile as she stared at him blankly,_

_._

_._

_._

_"You're not even worth killing, Foolish Little Brother. If you wish to kill me one day, foster your hatred and despise me. Surviving in such an unsightly manner as this."_ _***chuckles harshly*** _ _"By all means flee. Cling to your wretched life."_

_"N-No!"_

_Itachi and Sasuke both glanced sideways, and saw a pink haired girl standing in the middle of the street, with corpses laying all around her. Itachi's eyes zeroee on the wound on her stomach that was partially healed, and the way she clutched it. Her orange goggles were tilted and splattered with blood, and her hair shadowed her eyes. He gritted his teeth in frustration. That Madara…..!_

_"Sakura!" Sasuke cried out in horror. He was still trembling in fear. "Go away while you still can, or he will kill you too, just like he killed the entire clan!"_

_"I don't believe you." She said in a cold tone as she walked towards them slowly._

_"Don't come here! I'm telling you, he will kill you just like he killed everyone!"_

_"Itachi-" she took a deep breath. "No, he would never do something like this. He would never kill his own family like that. Never."_

_._

_._

_._

_She slid her right hand from his cheek to his shoulder, and squeezed it and said quietly "Sasuke, Stay strong. You will be fine."_

_"I know you will." She then gave him a closed eye smile and said warmly, though with a hoarse tint in it_ _**"After all, I never abandon my comrades in their time of need."** _

_Something inside him snapped, and a tear leaked out of his onyx eyes. And then another. And another._

_._

_._

_._

To Sasuke, Sakura was Shisui's sister. So that makes her family. Even if she's not a proper Uchiha, she is a part of his family. She annoyed him to no end, but he won't have her any other way she comforted him when his family was massacred, and she has been supportive in her own way ever since they've been sorted in the same squad. Sakura is a part of his family, and damn it to the depths of hell that he did not want to lose her.

His hands itched to glow the familiar green and heal her injury and make her all better….. But he wasn't naive. He knew he wasn't skilled enough in Medical Ninjutsu to operate on her right now and make her all better.

_Useless….._

_Pathetic….._

_Incompetent….._

_Weak….._

His eyes snapped up to the fake Hunter Nin, who was trembling in guilt and remorse.  _'No….'_  Sasuke thought darkly  _'You won't be forgiven. I won't forgive you…..'_

His left sharingan eye morphed into the kaleidoscopic pattern of Mangekyo, and the world exploded in Black flames of Amaterasu.

_'…for killing the last member of my family.'_


	13. Lost on the Road of Life.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obito and Sakura finally meet face-to-face.

_"Amaterasu!"_

Caught off guard by the black flames suddenly erupted out of nowhere, Haku created an Ice shield to protect himself, but the black flames somehow were  _eating_  through the ice, turning the ice directly into steam. Haku skidded away from the black fire as it ate away at everything that stood in it's path. The black haired genin –Sasuke-body flickered behind him and shot a kick at him, which he swiftly caught with his hands, and started encasing them in ice. However, Haku let out a pained yelp as another bout of black fire erupted –though this time it was over his cloak- and Haku shed his cloak and mask –and he had to cut off a good chunk of his hair too- to get rid of the flames of hell that is Amaterasu. He felt somewhat naked without his cloak and mask, though he didn't show any unease on his face.

When Haku had met the Sakura some days ago in the forest and talked with her, he felt a sort of kinship with her. She understood him to some extent, and even shared same feelings too. Having been on a run ever since his mother had been killed in the Bloodline Purge of Kiri and his father chasing him out and trying to kill him for his Kekkei Genkai, to living in streets and finding Zabuza who graciously agreed to mentor him, he had never had any acquaintance with another person his age (except Chojuro, but that boy is a few years older than Haku, and he is also Mei's minion, and anyone who spends so much time with that woman is bound to have some screws loose in their heads.)

Anyway, the point is that with Sakura, he felt a sort of kinship. He guess she is somewhat like a friend to him – _he won't know what a 'friend' is, he has never had any before. But he imagines that if he ever have had a friend, it would've been someone who understands his feelings and thoughts_. So for Haku, Sakura is like a friend he never had.

Honestly, he was just trying to wrap up his fight with the black haired genin so that he could help Zabuza deal with Kakashi and get this stupid mission over with. He hadn't counted on the pink haired girl literally jumping before his lethal attack. Now, not only he has to deal with his guilty conscience that is shredding himself into pieces little by little from the inside, but also this Uchiha boy who is hell bent on avenging his dead teammate.

His emotional and physical pain led him to drop his guard down for a second –but that was all the time needed as a punch smashed through his back, cracking his ribs and sending him flying straight into a support beam, creating a Haku-sized dent on it. He groaned and detached from the iron beam and coughed up blood and wheezed – _Damn it to the hellish deep waters of Kiri, that hurts like Bitch!_ \- and turned to face the fucker who hit him in back while he was fighting it out with the Uchiha, only to freeze – _literally_ \- as his eyes stared at the blonde genin in orange jumpsuit, giving off red, malicious chakra that made his gut churn with fear.

Looks like he had managed to not only piss off the broody Uchiha, but the happy-go-lucky blonde too.

Well,  _shit._

* * *

Tears of blood leaked down Sasuke's right eye and he felt stabbing  _painpainpainpainpainpain_  in his eye, and his dwindling chakra at an alarming rate made the medic side of him –that he didn't even know had existed until recently- wanted to chide him for trying out such a chakra taxing technique without proper training. Though seeing the hellish flames of Amaterasu burn through every stupid ice jutsu of the fake hunter nin was worth it.  _Really._

Just another bout of Amaterasu at the fucker, and the bastard would die a painful death-

Of course Sasuke's fabulous plan was shot to fucking hell when Naruto – _of all the people_ \- crashed his  _party_  and attacked  _his_  enemy.

"Hey dobe, what's the big idea!" he snarled at the stupid blonde, because how dare the loser snatch away his prey! The Uchiha was about to kill the fucker for killing his comrade, teammate, friend-

And promptly froze up when he noticed the red chakra waving off of Naruto. Chakra that screamed _angerpainhatehatehateHATE_ and it was even worse than the night of the Uchiha massacre. It was like he was living that nightmare again, only ten times worse.

And he  _hated_  it.

* * *

**killkillkillkILLKILLKILLKILL-!**

Naruto didn't know what was going on. He did not care. He just wanted to kill these fuckers who murdered Sakura. He wanted to claw out their hearts with his very own nails – _claws? Huh where did that come from?_ \- and kill them in the most torturous ways possible. He wanted to stain the whole bridge red with blood.

They will  _pay._

THEY WILL PAY!

It was all a blur to him. He definitely didn't remember much of his fight with the demon brothers. He just remembered tearing his claws into one's gut, and tearing off another's head off their body – _he wanted to shout, to scream in terror, to retch in fear of what he had become, a monster. A MONSTER!_ \- and then he was off to find another target to vent out his  _angerfrustrationhatehate_ _ **hATEHATE**_ _-_

And found a target in the raven haired nin fighting the Uchiha. Growling fiercely, he appeared behing the enemy when he was distracted, and him in the back, throwing him back with the force of his punch. As the enemy gathered his wits and faced him, he grinned eagerly, a bloodthirsty smirk on his face as his opponent's face turned stark white in face.

_"Ice Style! A Thousand Needles of death!"_

The enemy shot a thousand icy needles at him, which evaporated into thin air as soon as they got in range with his red chakra leaking from him. The mist around them lifted, evaporating from the sheer intensity of the bijuu chakra.

 **"Well,"**  Naruto purred delightedly, his crimson eyes filled with mirth,  **"I'd love to beat the** ** _fuck_** **out of you. Don't you agree?"**

His opponent just whimpered in response, and honestly, that made it ever so better for him.

* * *

Kakashi's back snapped upright rigidly as he sensed the nine tails chakra – _did the seal broke? How? Why?_ \- and regretted his momentary lapse of attention as Zabuza's executioner blade hit his left shoulder, wounding him. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain, the Copy Nin swiped his thumb over his wound and scraped a bit of blood on it. He skidded a few steps back and muttered "I regret ending this exciting spar-"

"Spar? You call or fight to death a puny  _spar?!_ " He ignored Zabuza's indigant cry with practiced ease. Perks of dealing with Maito Gai on a daily basis.

"-however, I have better things to do than to babysit you while my genin are out there,  _probably_  fighting for their lives."

Kakashi did hand signs, and then slammed his hand down, and cried out  _"Summoning Jutsu! Earth style- Fang Pursuit Jutsu!"_

"Wha-?" the ground beneath Zabuza groaned and then  _shattered_ as eight Ninja hounds leapt up and bit into his limbs, keeping him in place.

Kakashi panted as he gripped his shoulder wound and grimaced. He had to wrap up this fight as soon as possible, and stop the nine tails from escaping before it's too late. If the seal is broken and the nine tails gets free, then not only his students, but every single person in the small nation of the Land of waves will be  _annihilated_  by the might of the nine tailed fox.

If the seal is still somewhat holding back the fox, then he  _might_  be able to do something. After all, you do not learn under the Yellow Flash and  _not_ learn some Fuinjutsu from him.

And for doing that, he will have to deal with Zabuza first.

"Looks like your time's up, Zabuza." Kakashi said as he did a few hand signs, his lone sharingan eye blazing red. Lightening gathered in his right palm, and crackled in a noise akin to chirruping of birds.

* * *

Haku gasped in pain and wheezed as blood trickled down his lips. His whole body was black and blue with bruises. He had many broken bones, including his ribs and his right arm's bone. His left hand's fingers had been twisted at an awkward angle. He might have internal bleeding and he was sure he had a concussion. And all these injuries were in a spanse of fifteen minutes he had been fighting the blonde boy who had gone berserk.

The blonde boy grinned menacingly, his crimson gaze and deeply whiskered cheeks haunting his vision, and he crouched down, intending on making a final attack.

And Haku had a feeling that he might not survive this attack.

As the blonde genin  _moved_ , Haku just smiled morosely and did nothing, as if welcoming his death with open arms.

_Zabuza…_

_I'm no match for this boy…_

_Master…. I've failed…_

_I'm so sorry that I'm such a useless tool…_

Naruto's nails slashed through his chest, and Haku's world exploded in hurt and pain before he blacked out.

* * *

"Fuck! This is getting far out of hands…" Rou muttered with a grimace as he saw the disaster that was this situation. Their summoner is most likely dead, one of her teammates is going berserk – _leaking bijuu chakra of all things!_ \- while the other one was having a mental breakdown, while their sensei was one step away from assassinating the enemy nin.

Yuki's blue markings shimmered and he groaned "Lady Sayuri is going to  _kill_  us when she gets to know about her granddaughter."

Rou snapped his head towards his brother and bared his jaws and snarled, his red markings darkening with his fury "That's what you're worried about, you asshole? Don't you care about Sakura?! She's our summoner!"

Yuki stared at him impassively and said "Rou, people die all the time."

"You-"

"she's not dead." Shi's soft voice broke through their argument.

"WHAT?!" Rou and Yuki exclaimed in unison.

Shi's green markings glowed as her paws lit with green medical chakra that scanned their pink haired summoner's body.

She spared them a glance and muttered "She's not dead. Not yet at least."

Their jaws slackened.

"How…..?" Yuki asked in disbelief. They had seen the attack hit her. The jutsu hit her point blank. How could've she survived that lethal jutsu?

Shi hummed contemplativedly for a moment and moved her glowing green paws towards the stab wound in their summoner's stomach, and her eyes widened.

Shi gasped and exclaimed "the wound….. of course!"

"What?" Rou asked, annoyed.

Shi stared at them with wide eyes. "I don't know how Sakura did it, but somehow, the wound didn't managed to pierce through her stomach. It's like the Ice lance disappeared before it could pierce through her organs."

"How is that even fucking possible?" Rou snapped at her fiercely.

"I…. I don't know….." Shi muttered with a sigh.

* * *

She knew nothing. She felt nothing.

Sakura just kept drifting along in the darkness. Her green eyes stared dully ahead into the vast expanse of the darkness that she was floating in. there was no joy, pain, no regret, no betrayal. Only darkness.

There was a voice calling her from afar. Someone was calling for her. She wanted to look around for the one who was calling her, but moving took so damn energy out of her. Even the idea of fighting against the drifting currents of darkness felt like blasphemy to her.

Why should it matter to her anyway? Whoever the hell was calling her will quiet down in a while anyways. Why would she even want to leave this comforting darkness?

Suddenly a lone cherry blossom petal drifted before her eyes, floating nearer to her. Then another. Then another. And soon enough there were many cherry blossom petals floating around her in a helical ring.

She blinked her eyes and gazed at them in awe.

_So pretty…_

She held her hand out to reach them, but the darkness opposed her movement. It didn't want her to over her limbs. But she wanted to touch those pretty petals! And oooooooooooooooooh-! How they shine! She wanted to touch them! Right now!

She struggled against the currents of darkness and her fingers touched one of the drifted blossoms. As soon as she touched it, her entire body was filled with warmth. And suddently, she could  _feel_.

And then she blinked her eyes and the strange darkness was gone. Instead, now she was surrounded by a comforting void of darkness that seemed very familiar.  _Wait…._  Isn't this her mindscape? What the hell is she doing here?

 **"YOU PINK HAIRED MENACE OF A KUNOICHI! HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO ME?! YOU ALMOST DIED YOU FUCKING BITCH! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU EVEN THINKING?!"** Inner was yelling at her using most creative word choices that would have made any potty-mouthed shinobi  ***cough* Hidan *cough*** blush.

She would've pointed it out to him that 'she is a eleven year old and would he please take in account his word choices', but she was too damn busy noticing something.

Something  _important_.

 **"I was so scared! I thought I lost you for forever!"**  His hands gripped her shoulders, almost bruising them –and how the heck did it even work? Wasn't he a part of her subconscious? Isn't any pain he inflicts on her is supposed to be imaginary and not – _I don't know?_ \- literal?

 **"Don't do this to me. Like, ever! Do you get that, Sakura?"**  He hissed at her in anger, with intones of desperation laced in his voice.

"Er…. Inner?" she asked weakly.

 **"what?"**  He bit out angrily.

"I can see you."

 **"Uh-huh."**  He muttered with an eye roll.

"I don't think you understand me correctly Inner." She mumbled, and licked her lower lip nervously. "I can  _see_ you."

He froze up, his lone sharingan eye staring at her in disbelief. The left part of his body was shrouded in darkness and shadows, and only the right side of his body was visible. But that was enough for her to have a general idea of how he looked.

Her Inner had raven black hair and pale skin, added with the lone sharingan eye that spun in his right eye socket she firmly believed he looked like a typical Uchiha. He wore orange undershirt over which he wore blue jackets and pants. She could see the only half part of swirly leaf of the leaf headband, as well as the orange goggles over his head, though they seemed old and tattered, and had various cracks in them. She feared they'd shatter with a single touch.

He groaned and smacked his face –well at least the right half of his face- in his right hand.

**"Well, shit."**

* * *

Sasuke stared, frozen as he watched Naruto defeat his opponent without even breaking into a sweat and gritted into his teeth. The Uchiha had had a hard time fighting him, and the loser defeated him as if he was swatting a fly. How  _unfair_ is that? What  _is_  this red chakra that grants him this much unmeasurable amount of power?

Naruto roared like a primal animal as he stomped on the body of his unconscious opponent, and Sasuke felt his gut churn unpleasantly. No…. this is not Naruto. The obnoxious blonde can never be this- this cruel.

Whatever this is, this is definitely not Naruto.

This is a  _monster._

When Naruto's – _no, that monster's-_  crimson gaze fell on Sasuke, and he grinned ferally, he clenched his fists as he realised that the blonde has far long gone, and now all that remained was the monster that was leaking out the red chakra which was now clutching to Naruto's body, as if forming a cloak around him. There was no familiarity or recognition in those crimson eyes of his, only the instinct to attack. And attack he did.

Only for Sasuke to leap up after pumping his legs with chakra and dodging the obviously lethal hit. The monster roared in fury and glared at Sasuke, who glared right back at him, the three tomoes of sharingan spinning furiously. The sight of the sharingan only made the beast roar.

Sasuke grunted as he clenched his fists. He was on the verge of chakra exhaustion, but he can't drop out of this fight. He already lost one teammate today. He can't lose another.

He will defeat this monster and bring Naruto back, no matter what cost he has to pay.

* * *

"So…." Sakura asked curiously. "This is how you really look like?"

 **"Yeah…"**  Inner muttered with a grimace.

She frowned at him. "Why do you sound like it's a bad thing."

He stared at her from for a moment, and then glanced away.  **"I didn't want to meet you face to face, at least not so soon. I thought we still had some time."**  He then scowled.  **"I guess not."**

She rolled her eyes at him. "I think it's wonderful to finally meet you face to face. It's kind of nice to actually meet you. So stop being a baby about it."

 **"I'm being a baby?"**  he hissed at her, and she was startled at the amount of fury laced in his tone.  **"Who is the idiot who jumped before a lethal attack and almost got herself killed?"**  he gripped her shoulders again and she whimpered when she felt them bruise under his tight grip.  **"Who is reckless enough to almost die a second. Fucking. time?"**  His sharingan eye bore into her making her flinch  **"Do you even know how scared I was?"**  his voice sounded so broken as he whispered  **"I thought I lost you too…"**

"Oh Inner….." she breathed out as she hiccupped, tears rolling down her eyes. "I'm so sorry." She muttered as she pulled him in a hug, though it was awkward since not only was he taller, but, she could not grasp the shadows on his left side that somehow become somewhat tangible to be in her hold. "I didn't meant to worry you. I don't know why I did that….. My body just  _moved_  on it's own accord."

 **"Yeah…. I know what you mean…."**  He chuckled bitterly, as if remembering something painful from the past.

"A-Anyway….." she cursed her voice for stuttering as she wiped away her tears and released him from the hug. "I thought I was a goner. How the heck did I survive that attack?"

He grinned impishly at her, and that made his whole face –or at least the visible half of it- brighten up.  **"I took momentary control of your body and activated _Kamui_  at the right moment!"** he grinned like a child on a christmas day.

She stared at him in confusion.

He sighed, and explained.  **"The Ice Lance. I activated the _Kamui_  as soon as it pierced your body, making it intangible, and sending the stupid icy weapon to other dimension. Good thing- the icy blade only managed to nick your stomach, and didn't impale it like I was afraid it'd have done if I hadn't been the awesome Ninja I am. Bad thing- Using the special Mangekyo ability took almost all of your chakra, and now, you're suffering from chakra exhaustion."**

"Inner! You're the best!" She gushed at him.

 **"Damn straight I am!** " He puffed his chest proudly, however he deflated it a second later.  **"Though after watching you get a lethal hit, Naruto went berserk and is now fighting Sasuke."**

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed. "What the hell? I get unconscious for some time and they go on trying to maim each other?!"

 **"They're actually actively trying to kill each other."**  He muttered in a matter of fact voice.

A dark look passed in her green eyes and she clenched her fists. "Clearly, I need to knock some sense into their empty heads.  _Literally._ "

He sweat dropped as he saw the scary aura radiating off of Sakura. Poor Naruto and Sasuke….. they're so dead…

Maybe he should try to save them some pain…

 **"You don't have enough chakra to even move."**  He pointed a valid flaw in her  _plan_.  **"You're already suffering from chakra exhaustion."**

Her shoulders slumped. "Oh yeah…. I forgot about that…." Her eyes welled up with tears and she stared at him desperately. "But you said they were attacking to kill each other. I can't let that happen! They're my friends!" She whimpered, and his heart melted under her tearful eyes. "I don't want them to die! They're my precious people!"

_._

_._

_._

_"Why? Why did you do this for me? Why did you save me?"_

_*chuckles* "Why not Kakashi? After all, you are my friend."_

_._

_._

_._

He clenched his fists as he stared at her. Looking at Sakura was like staring at his past self. The one who got buried under the boulders in the Kanabi mission. And then he changed after Rin died….

Rin…. His Rin….

It was entirely Kakashi's fault. He killed Rin. He let her die. And he hated him for that.

But Sakura didn't do anything to him. Neither did Naruto or Sasuke. He can't let them die in vain, like Rin had. It would not be fair to anyone, especially not to Sakura.

 **"Well…."**  He muttered softly, and crouched down before the pink haired girl,  **"I can share my chakra with you if you like."**

She stared up at him with wide eyes. "B-But y-you said-" She stuttered, "You said we don't have much chakra left b'coz of chakra exhaustion?!"

 **"Well, that's true. Technically."**  He said with a shrug.  **"I'm not _literally_  a part of you. So, I also have some chakra, though that's mostly yin chakra, which means using it might put a strain on your chakra network since yin chakra is coarser and purer than yang chakra."**

"Right. Yin chakra- bad for my body. Got it." She said with a nod.

His eye twitched and he yelled at her.  **"THAT WAS THE ONLY THING YOU ACTUALLY CAUGHT WITH MY EXPLAINATION? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU BRAT?!"**

"STOP CALLING ME BRAT, YOU IDIOT!"

* * *

.

Kakashi sensed the nine tail's chakra quadrupling in amounts as it leaked off Naruto, attacking Sasuke. He could also feel Sakura's chakra flickering like a weak flame some distance away from them. He desperately wanted to head to his genin and make sure they were okay, and then haul their asses back to Konoha and lock them up in an isolated tower and not let them out until they were old enough. But as a shinobi he could not do that. He could only desperately pray to every deity in the Heavens to keep his brats safe.

Oh, and he could also finish his fight up right  _now_ so he can be with his cute little genins. Details, details.

He took a deep breath and used his original signature Jutsu that he had created when he was in team Minato, and perfected with obito's sharingan. A Jutsu that earned him the title of 'Kakashi of the Sharingan eye'. A Jutsu that sent fear in the hearts of even the most renowned shinobi. A Jutsu known as-

_"Chidori!"_

Concentrated lightening chakra sparked from his right and he started running towards Zabuza, intending to pierce the lightening jutsu through his chest.

 _'You were definitely strong Zabuza- the Demon of the Hidden Mist.'_  Kakashi thought. ' _But I was simply stronger than you. there is no way you can survive my Chidori.'_

* * *

Sasuke gasped in pain, his hands glowing green as he tried to heal the gashes on his arm before they made him dizzy with blood loss. This fight is a lot more dangerous than he had expected it to be. Naruto –No, this monster- doesn't even seem affected by any of Sasuke's attacks. Heck, he didn't even faze when an explosive tag exploded right in front of his face!

Sighing, Sasuke glared at his opponent, who crouched down on all fours, a tail of red chakra forming behind him. He then held out his right hand, that gathered wind chakra that churned violently along with the red chakra, sending off wind currents around him that almost knocked Sasuke off his feet. Sasuke grimaced as took a deep breath.

"So this is it, huh?" he muttered under his breath and he used the last ounce of his chakra for a final attack.

This is one last final assault that he can manage.

"Let's see what happens then." Sasuke smirked in a true Uchiha fashion as fire chakra erupted around his fist and then, he moved and he vaguely registered his opponent using the move Naruto had learned from kakashi-Sensei a few days ago.

_"Fire Style! Fire Fist!"_

**"Wind Style! Storm Punch!"**

It's all, or nothing.

* * *

He held out his hand for her, and grinned widely.  **"So, what do you say, Sakura? Wanna give it a try?"**

Her lips upturned in a soft smile, and she stared at him gratefully. "Thank you, Inner." She muttered.

 **"Obito."**  He whispered, and she blinked her eyes in confusion. Had she imagined him saying something?

"What?" She asked out aloud.

He smiled, his lone sharingan eye spinning with mirth, and said  **"My name is Obito."**

Her green eyes sparkled with warmth as she said "Thank you, Obito."

And then she placed her hand in his, and unfamiliar –but warm- chakra rushed through her body. Squeezing her hand gently, he guided her to consciousness, and she opened her emerald green eyes under the loudy blue sky, sensing various chakra around her –of her bear triplets that were fawning over her, Bakakashi and Zabuza's chakra, along with some more- but she paid no attention to any of them.

After all, she had a fight to resolve and two idiots to knock some sense into. She can't get distracted by trifling matters after all.

Inner- no, Obito's- laughter rang around in her mindscape, where she was still clutching his hand as he guided her to use his chakra the best way so as not to blow herself off with the yin chakra.

* * *

Kakashi reached Zabuza and was about to pierce Chidori through his heart, but a burst of chakra made him stumble and miss Zabuza's heart by a long shot. That chakra-

No! Impossible! How can that be?! He recognized that chakra all too well! He had lamented and regretted the fact every day that he won't sense that chakra ever again ever since his teammate died.

_It was Obito's Chakra!_

He pulled his hand out from Zabuza's shoulder which he managed to mangle –damn lucky missing nin, he missed striking his heart by a long shot- who screamed in pain at getting his shoulder maimed by Kakashi's assassination Jutsu. The Hatake, meanwhile, snapped his head towards the direction he sensed it coming –and what the hell, he could actually see waves of chakra rolling off of Sakura through his sharingan –Obito's sharingan- that burned and pulsed with familiarity at the chakra waves.

Obito's chakra is coming off from Sakura… It can't be…

His sharingan recorded in slow motion as Sakura shunshined towards Naruto and Sasuke –who he now realised were aiming to use the Jutsus they had learned recently against each other- (and he also distantly noticed her body flicker technique is awfully similar to one of his dead subordinates)

"It's  _him_ …" he whispered under his breath as he could feel his eyes well up salt water- _Pft, Kakashi hatake do not cry. Period._  "It's really  _him._ "

Unknown to him, a tear rolled down his lone sharingan eye, and was soaked up by his mask.

_'Obito... It really is you isn't it?'_

_'Of course the idiot won't stay dead...'_ He thought with a morose chuckle.

* * *

As soon as she woke up, Sakura waved off the triplets concerns as she body flickered between Sasuke and Naruto who were hell bent on killing each other – _not if she has a say in it!_ \- and she could see the recognition lit up in their eyes.

The red chakra around Naruto disappeared instantly, while Sasuke's sharingan eyes widened. Both of them tried to stop _, really_ , but they were already almost there and would definitely not stop in time to stop before their Jutsu hit the obstacle in their path to each other –aka Sakura.

With protests screaming from their throat, their Jutsu lit arms came in her vicinity, about to impale her, when the girl clamped her hands onto each of their arms, not even flinching as their aggressive chakra burned her palms. And then she spun and threw threw them away from each other, in the same direction they had just run up from.

Glancing at both her teammatess who were sent flying, she rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hips.

"Sorry guys, I'm late!" Sakura grinned impishly, her emerald green eyes glowing brightly, "I got lost on the road of life!"

 


	14. OMAKE 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OMAKE- Alternate ending to the Land of Wavs Arc

"Tazuna is all well and dandy, though a bit disgruntled by the fact that Yukishirou left him trapped in a barrier in the middle of nowhere (even though it was for his own good), The Yukishirou siblings are currently guarding the missing nin Zabuza Momochi -who as per your orders has been paralysed (although I don't think the poor man can move even an inch after being bitten horribly by your dogs), the fake hunter nin that turned out to be an..." she paused for a while and then shrugged and continued on. "….acquaintance of mine, and in spite of all his injuries he is miraculously still alive, though I think we should do something about his blood loss if we want him alive, the Demon brothers have been efficiently incapacitated." Sakura listed out casually, as if she was speaking about weather, and not telling a mission report to her superior. The pink haired girl then looked up at him and questioned innocently, "Am I forgetting anything else, Kakashi-Sensei?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, suppressing the urge to flinch at the casual, but ruthless way the pink haired girl was behaving.  _So professional, yet ruthless…._  Times like this he doubted if this is actually Obito…..

The silver haired Jonin's lone eye fell on the two boys who sat in a corner, tied and gagged, and muffling protests. A vein popped over Sakura's larger than normal forehead, and she turned a scathing glare towards her bound teammates, and they immediately quietened down.

She narrowed her eyes and mumbled, "Oh yes, I forgot to count in the two  _buffoons_  who -rather than paying attention on their mission at hand as well as the client's safety- went berserk and tried to  _maim_  each other to the point of death." She tapped her chin and said "I would  _personally_  see to it that from now on they won't put any mission at hand on jeopardy." (Sasuke and Naruto shared a terrified look and looked pleadingly at their sensei, who averted his eyes with practiced ease and whistled innocently, as if he didn't notice the plight of his genin students. Tch,  _Traitor!_ ) She then blinked, as if realizing only now that she is in front of her superior, and such sadistic behavior is unbecoming of an upcoming Kunoichi like her. She smiled sweetly at him -a picture of perfectly innocent and dainty girl, and asked, "Do you want me to do anything else, Sensei?"

"I think that will be all Sakura." Kakashi mumbled sheepishly as he scooted away from the pink haired gennin who obviously looked like she was one step away from snapping in anger -even though she wasn't looking like it. Appearances can be decieving after all. Now to think of it, Obito's anger had always been explosive. He wouldn't want to be in her vicinity when her anger explodes this time.

Sakura sighed in relief. "Good, now that no one has anything to add to the mission report," She ignored Naruto and Sasuke's muffled protests with practiced ease, and kept walking in the direction of the village, dragging her tied and gagged gennin teammates by a rope. "I can finally expect to lay down and sleep for hours and  _not_  get woken up for whatever silly reason my  _dearest_  genin teammates as well as Ssensei conjure up later." She shot a dark glare at her bound teammates as well as Kakashi, who squeaked and disappeared with the help of body flicker in a flutter of dried leaves.

She sighed in relief and mumbled exhaustively "So, it's finally over, huh?"

**_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_ **

**'You just** ** _had_** **to jinx it, Outer.'**  Obito snickered in amusement.

An explosion rocked the other end of the bridge. A malicious laughter rang around them.

"Hahahahahahaha! You disappoint me Zabuza! You couldn't even kill the old bridge builder! Some Demon you are!" The stout, brunette man known a Gatou snickered. "Good thing I never intended to pay you, that's why I've hired these thugs to take care of you and your minions, as well as that Bridge Builder and those Ninjas he has hired. Frankly, their service cost much less than yours." The thugs Gatou brought with him stood in a crowd, sneering and jeering at them - _correction, her._

Sakura resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall. The Demon brothers were dead, Zabuza and Haku were knocked out, Yukishirou had their hands full with just guarding the missing nin, Naruto and Sasuke were  _clearly_  out of commission, while Kakashi had pulled one over her and disappearing to god knows where. That leaves her all alone to deal with some stupid thugs.

This day just keeps getting better and better…  _Not._

Sakura's patience finally snapped, as a vein twitched over her head. Sasuke and Naruto stilled as a shiver of terror ran down their spine. She turned towards gatou and his thugs, her eyes glowed a cold jade colour, and an emotionless mask donning her face. She cracked her neck, and then snapped her fists, earning a POP! Sound from her joints.

"Looks like there are still some things left for me to do, huh?" She said nonchalantly as she kicked her bound teammates to the side – _ignoring their pained cries with practices ease_ \- and pulled out a kunai from her weapon's pouch and took a stance. "I'm so done with this shit." Sakura's right eye morphed into the pinwheel patterns of the Mangekyo, and she cried out  _"Kamui!"_

A moment later, an eerie silence settled over the presently _somewhat_  deserted bridge, disturbed by whimpers from Sakura's fellow teammates, and once or twice by Zabuza's sleepy groans. Sakura craned her neck in exhaustion, as if she hadn't just annihilated thirty or so thugs on her own lonesome, and mumbled,

" _Now_  it's over."

(Somewhere in a dimension filled with nothing but stony structures, Tobi stared confusedly at the stout civilian and his band of thugs panicking like headless chicken, and wondering what the hell were they doing in his Kamui's dimension.)


	15. Divided We Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ending to the Waves Arc~

_'This…..'_  Sakura grimaced, ' _is a disaster.'_  Her emerald green eyes took in the scene before her- There were splatters of blood and water all around the bridge – _or what was left of it after the fight_ -though thankfully the blood seems to be of the enemies (mostly).The Demon Brothers lay down dead, their innards spilling out for all the world to see – _the sight made Sakura suppress the bile rising to her throat._  Yukishirou were gaping at her with something akin to relief. Naruto and Sasuke (looking more-or-less alright) and were staring at her in disbelief as if she had just roused back from the dead, while Bakakashi staring at her as if he had been graced with divine enlightenment or something.

**'I totally agree.'**  Obito mumbled, shifting a bit – _not that Sakura could see_ \- as he felt thoroughly creeped out by Kakashi's expression.

She winced as her hands throbbed in pain – _that is what she gets for grabbing Naruto and Sasuke's Jutsu enhanced arms. Damn Chakra burns_ \- and resisted the urge to bonk the head of her teammates and yell at them for being stupid enough to try to main each other for no actual reason.  _Tch, idiots._

But the look of absolute heartbreak and disbelief on their faces stopped her – _just barely though_ \- she can't stay mad at them when they've had just experienced something so traumatic now, can she?

"S-Sakura?" Naruto choked out as he somehow sat up, and winced as his joints screamed in protest. His limbs felt heavy and were pricking as if he was being poked with a thousand needles. His skin was reddish and burned. He tried to rack his mind to remember what had happened, but all he remembered was seeing Sakura being stabbed by that icy dagger…. After that, his memory was all hazy. Huh….. why is his head pouncing? Why the sudden amnesia? And what the hell had happened?

"You're alive…" Sasuke whispered in disbelief, as he tried to take in the fact that  _no, Sakura isn't dead, and she is in fact very much alive._  When that fact finally registered in his mind, his shoulders sagged with relief and a sob escaped his lips. "Oh Kami, you're  _alive!_ "

Sakura took in a sharp breath when he saw how Sasuke's left eye spun with a pentagram pattern of red and black.

**'Mangekyo Sharingan….** ' Obito whispered in shock,  **'Guess your 'death' traumatized him, huh Outer?'**

_'….Shut it with your stupid jokes, Inner. Now's not the time for jokes.'_  Sakura thought morosely as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She noted how Sasuke and Naruto seemed alright, although she could sense how they were on the verge of exhaustion and sighed in exasperation. She wasn't even unconscious for fifteen minutes, what the hell did they do in that time to lose this much chakra? She sighed and thought,  _'It's time for some damage control.'_

Sakura glanced at Yukishirou siblings and ordered, "Shii, heal Naruto's wounds as much as you can. I don't want anyone passing out on me, yet." Her voice snapped the Bear triplets out of their trance, and Sii quickly scurried off towards Naruto after stuttering a "Yes ma'am!"

The pink haired girl then stared at Sasuke and sighed. Naruto seemed to be only physically harmed. Shii will be more than enough to heal him. But Sasuke…. He looked like he has been through hell and back,  _literally._  It was as if the emotional wounds that he had from the aftermath of the Uchiha Massacre have been scabbed open. It pained her to see how  _broken_  he looked. And it was all because of her…..

She stepped towards the raven haired Uchiha and knelt down before him. Sasuke, who had been staring at her every action, as if recording them with his sharingan eyes, flinched when she placed a hand over his shoulder. "Hey Sasuke," She whispered and smiled at him softly. "I promised you didn't I? I won't ever abandon my comrades, and that means I'm not gonna up and die before you guys –and if I have a say in it, that won't be happening until you're way too old, and surrounded by your children and grandschildren. 'Kay?"

Sasuke just nodded dumbly at her as she wiped his blood stained cheeks with the hem of the sleeves of her jacket, not even bothering as it got tainted by blood. She eyed the cuts and burns over his body and dismissed them as minor wounds. She noticed absently how his right hand twitched –one of the signs of damaged chakra coils- and how chakra exhausted he was that he looked like he would keel over any second. It seemed as if he was staying conscious through sheer willpower.

She heard footsteps coming towards them, and tilted her head and watched as Naruto made his way towards them –more like staggered- followed by Yukishiirou triplets, who stayed some healthy distance behind Naruto, eying him warily. She noticed how Sasuke flinched when he made eye contact with Naruto, and frowned.

_'Odd.'_  Sakura mumbled internally,  _'why would Sasuke react like that?'_

Obito narrowed his eyes and then shrugged **, 'No idea.'**

* * *

Kakashi ignored Zabuza's screams of pain as blood dripped from his wounded shoulder – _where Kakashi had just hit him with chidori because he had missed at the very last second since he had been actually aiming for his heart_ \- and stared somewhat detachedly at his genins, though his eyes were locked on a certain pink haired girl as she tended to her teammates. He checked twice, even thrice, but even now the chakra circulating in her body was Obito's, and not the usual watered down version he usually felt from her.

Sakura is Obito. The one-and-only Obito Uchiha, his former teammate who had died 'coz of a cave in during the Kanabi bridge Mission. The very same Obito who had knocked some sense into his past self –quite literally- and taught him the importance of the deep bonds between nakama. The very same Obito who had entrusted him with the task to protect Rin –which Kakashi had failed quite spectacularly.

And Obito is alive and was standing before him –in form of one Sakura Haruno.

How come he had not noticed this earlier? All the signs before were pointing to this very same conclusion!

_The orange goggles….._

_The loud and clueless personality….._

_The unmoving faith in teamwork propaganda….._

_The habit of being late to every meeting…._

_Future dream of being a Hokage….._

The truth had been before him all this time, and he had only now managed to uncover it.

_'It is Obito'_ Kakashi though as a small smile appeared beneath his mask. _'It is truly him.'_

* * *

"Hey Sakura! I'm so glad that you're alright, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed and smiled brightly at her, though the exhaustion was clear in his eyes.

"Told ya I'm not kicking the bucket so soon." Sakura hummed absently as she pulled out a bandage roll from her medic kit and tied it to Sasuke's right hand. "And I would very much like to have a talk with you two after this mess is over." She shot a glare at both Sasuke and Naruto who flinched under her stare. "You know, about the whole 'trying to kill each other thing'."

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly and mumbled, "Yeah….. about that…. I think I have gaps in my memory. All I remember is you getting stabbed," he pointed at Sakura and continued on, "and then I was suddenly rushing at Sasuke with my Storm Punch, with Sakura in between us."

Sasuke's red eyes narrowed at the blonde genin and he hissed in barely suppressed fury, "Don't shit with me, loser! You say you don't remember the last few minutes where you almost  _annihilated_  every single one of us? How stupid do you think we are?!"

"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed admonishingly.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Naruto argued back. "I did no such thing!"

"Then explain  _that_!" Sasuke pointed his finger towards the dead bodies of Demon brothers with their innards spilling out of their wounds.

"I-I did that?" Naruto stuttered as he stumbled backwards as his legs suddenly turned to jelly. No, no, this is a lie. Naruto would never do that. The way the Demon Brothers have been killed…. It's as if a wild beast had attacked them. Distantly, he could hear Sakura trying to speak soothing words to him so that he would stop hyperventilating, but to no avail. "T-That's impossible! I-I didn't do that! N-No way!" He couldn't believe anything that Sasuke was saying. How can Naruto kill them? Naruto –idiot, loser, dead last Naruto- who wouldn't even hurt a fly?

"Yes you did!" Sasuke snarled back at him as he remembered the crimson chakra that had enveloped Naruto when he had killed the Demon brothers. "You looked like you were drunk in power when you killed them! You were brimming with so much chakra that that stupid orange chakra was even leaking from you!"

Naruto froze at his words. "What did you say?" he whispered softly, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Sasuke just say- "Orange chakra?"

Orange.

_The fox._

_Of fucking course_ , it just has to be the stupid fox. Who else could make him possess him like that turn him into a monster in a span of few  _minutes?_

The Nine tailed fox, that is who.

_Goddammit!_

* * *

Sakura watched as Naruto fell apart before her under Sasuke's accusations. She couldn't make any head or tail of what the Uchiha meant, but she clearly knew that it was tearing into Naruto's conscience, if the way his bright blue eyes watered with tears was any indication. Before Sasuke could traumatize their teammate even more, she grabbed him by the collar and snarled into his face. "Stop it Sasuke!" She hissed at him, "Can't you see you're hurting him?!"

Sasuke glared back at her with his sharingan eyes, but she didn't back down. In the end, he bit out a "Fine!" and shoved her away somewhat aggressively before he stomped off…. somewhere. Though by the way he kept glancing back at Naruto with narrowed eyes, it was clear that this is actually far from over.

She grimaced and scratched her cheek. Great, just what she needed right now in the middle of this cluster-fuck of a situation –a fall out between teammates. Why, oh why can't she get through any mission without it being fucked up through seven hells?

**'I proclaim it as the will of the Goggle Gods, Sakura.'**  Obito said sagely, and even though she couldn't actually peak into her mindscape – _well, not now, considering the fact that she is quite busy handling all this crap before it blows out in a major proportion_ \- she just knew that her idiot Inner is preening like a peacock, thinking what he just said was very wise and mature.

_'That doesn't even make any sense, moron.'_

**'Hey!'**

Thankfully, this light banter eased Sakura's nerves, for which Obito was glad. 'Coz when Sakura panics, she usually gives into her crybaby tendencies, and Obito would rather kiss Bakakashi – _Ew… did he just think that?!_ \- than deal with a crying Sakura.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered as she hesitantly neared a hyperventilating blonde. "Calm down! Concentrate on the sound of my voice. Yes, that's right…. Now breathe with me. Inhale… Exhale…. Inhale… Exhale…. Inhale….You're doing great Naruto!"

When Naruto somewhat calmed down, he peeked at Sakura from beneath is blonde eyelashes, expecting her to start yelling at him in anger –just like Sasuke had a while ago- and call him a monster like he was. But to his surprise, Sakura just sighed and said, "Look Naruto, I don't exactly know what had happened here while I was…" She paused for a while, and then shrugged, "-incapacitated, but clearly,  _something_  has happened and from the look on your face, you know exactly what has transpired." When Naruto averted his eyes again, Sakura resisted the urge to sigh. She just pinned Naruto with a stern look and said, "We will talk about this later. We are currently in midst of a mission, and we can't exactly afford a fallout right now. We will deal with –whatever this is- later." She raised a pink eyebrow and said sternly, "Is that clear?"

She pursued her lips when Naruto hesitantly nodded his head, and then shrugged. Eh, that will do. For now.

She then stood up and analyzed their situation. The Demon Brothers have been effectively neutralized. Zabuza has clearly been handled by Bakakashi – _though she didn't understand why hadn't Kakashi just finished the Missing-nin, and was, in fact, staring creepily at her s if she has just been back from the grave_ \- and last but not the least, there lay a body of a raven haired boy some distance away from her, she recognized the shredded cloak and mask as that of that fake Hunter-nin –Zabuza's apprentice- and showed the preteen's pale skin….. and pink kimono… wait….

Is that…..?

No way…..

_No. fucking. way._

"Haku?"

* * *

**'Oh. My. God.'**  Obito gasped as Sakura all just fled towards the profusely bleeding form of the boy whom she had met in the forest. He cringed at the deep slashes in the boy's chest and abdomen, -which looked like they've been caused by some beast, and not any human. He must've lost a lot of blood. Thankfully, other than the deep gashes and blood loss –as well as one or two cracked ribs, he was mostly fine.

**'Stop panicking, idiot. He'll live.** ' Obito bit out gruffly and sighed when Sakura let out a sigh of relief. He blinked when he sensed thirty or so people moving nearer to their location. They were actually very close to the bridge now. Huh, how come he hadn't sensed them before?

He must be quite exhausted after sharing his chakra with Sakura –so much in fact that he didn't even notice the incoming threat. Some Ninja he is – _was? Damn this reincarnation stuff is so confusing. But then again he hadn't exactly reincarnated now, has he, when his other half is probably very much alive, prancing around the Elemental Nations and causing chaos._

**'Oi Outer, incoming at 10'o clock.'**  Obito warned Sakura as a malicious laughter rang around the bridge.

"Hahahahahahaha! You disappoint me Zabuza! You couldn't even kill the old bridge builder! Some Demon you are!" Sakura turned her head towards the stout, brunette man who was snickering at Zabuza's expense. The thugs –about thirty or so in number- stood behind the stout an, and sneered at them. "Good thing I never intended to pay you, that's why I've hired these thugs to take care of you and your minions, as well as that Bridge Builder and those Ninjas he has hired. Frankly, their service cost much less than yours."

Zabuza bit his lip to suppress another pained grunt, and growled at the stout man. "Gatou, you scum-bag, so this is what you had in mind all this time, hadn't you? Even if I had somehow managed to kill the Bridge Builder, you would still have gotten me killed wouldn't you?"

**'Huh,'**  Obito mused.  **'Looks like the Demon of the Mist isn't as thick brained as I thought.'**

_'So this is Gatou…..'_  Sakura thought and she narrowed her eyes at the stout man.

* * *

"Well, well Kakashi, it seems like our fight is at an end," Zabuza said with a grimace, "Since I'm no longer Gatou's employee. Tazuna's safe, so we have no quarrel."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Kakashi said as he did some hand signs and reverse summoned his dogs, freeing Zabuza from their hold.

Meanwhile, Gatou's eyes laid on Haku's unconscious form, and he grinned maniacally, "Oh? That punk's dead? Too bad, I had wanted to kill him myself." He walked towards him and sneered, "The brat broke my arm, I still have to get my revenge for that!" he ignored the pink haired girl sitting beside the dead boy – _or so he thought_. Gatou tried to stomp on Haku's chest wounds, but to his surprise, before his foot could even touch the preteen's body, it was suddenly grabbed in midair by the pink haired girl sitting beside Haku's still form.

"You bastard," She hissed angrily, her emerald green eyes blazing in fury, "Don't you dare lay even a finger on him!"

Gatou screamed as the puny pink haired girl  _crushed_  his foot -as if it were some wood, and not flesh and bones. She then pulled back her fist and punched the living daylights out of him, and sent him flying. Gatou's scream rang around the bridge as his body connected with a lone pillar, making a Gatou shaped dent on it. The stout man twitched and whimpered in pain as he carefully clutched his broken foot.

"That brat! How dare she!" Gatou howled in fury, "Kill her! Whoever kills her will get a huge reward from me!"

The thugs who had been gaping at the little display of power by the pink haired brat composed themselves and grinned eagerly.

"Just that puny little kid?"

"Now that's easy."

Sakura crouched down in an attacking stance and glare at the upcoming mob. "Bring it on!" She snarled at them. However, she blinked when someone patted her head, and stepped before her leisurely. She stared at the mop of silver hair in shock. "Kakashi-Sensei?"

Kakashi turned his head towards her and eye-smiled at her. "Just sit back and relax, Sakura, and let your awesome Sensei handle this."

She gaped at him. "What?!"

His mismatched eyes shone with conviction as he promised her, "I won't let anyone hurt you Sakura. I promise."

A vision appeared before her eyes of a younger Kakashi, saying something quite similar-

_"I promise I'll protect Rin no matter what."_

**'I hope you don't break your promise this time, Kakashi.'**  Her Inner said softly.

_'Inner….?'_  She questioned as she could feel the turmoil in Obito's heart. She didn't understand why she keeps having these visions. Were they a result of her over active imagination or something else? She didn't know…

**'It's nothing Sakura.** ' He once again averted the topic.

She was about to question him, but halted when she saw Zabuza making his way towards them, clutching his bleeding arm. He shoved her back forcefully and said, "Stay back brat, and protect Haku. Leave this to the big shots."

"Uh…" She muttered confusedly as she watched back and forth between Zabuza and Kakashi, who shared a look.

"Truce?" Zabuza grumbled out in his hoarse voice.

"Truce." Kakashi agreed with a small smirk on his face that hid behind the mask.

"Um…. What just happened?" Sakura wondered quizzically.

And well…. the rest, they say, is history.

* * *

"Well, that went well." Yuki said with a shrug.

"I know right." Ro snickered.

The way the Zabuza and Kakashi duo absolutely annihilated the thugs had been an amazing sight to watch, especially for the three bear cubs who hadn't had seen much action ever since they were born. Needless to say, now they have a healthy respect for their Summoner's Sensei –and maybe a small case of hero worship, but hey! It's not like it's bad you know. As long as their Sakura doesn't need to deal with their hero-worshipping tendencies, everything is fine.

Sakura scratched the back of her head and said gratefully, "Well, thanks for your help Yukishiirou."

"Your welcome!" Shii chirped happily, and a moment later the three of them disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Sakura sighed and glanced at Kakashi and Zabuza as they argued with each other about who killed more of those thugs, and rolled her eyes. She smiled at Naruto as he helped Haku up, who had woken up sometime during the bloodbath Kakashi and Zabuza had been subjecting their enemies to. While Sasuke was brooding some distance away, and refusing to even look at Naruto.

Sakura rolled her shoulders to release some tension and sighed, "Thank goodness that's finally over."

**'Um….. not quite.'**

_'Huh?'_

"We're finally here!" A voice shouted from the other end of the bridge, and Sakura stared, flabbergasted at Inari and the crow behind him –which most likely comprises of the villagers.

"Uh, Inari? What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head in confusion.

"We came to help you out!" Inari beamed at them. "You know, the hero usually arrives at the very last minute!"

Sakura resisted the urge to smack her head again a wall. "for the love of all that is holy-" She pinched the bridge of her nose and said in a false-calm tone. "While it is true that Heroes usually arrive late,  _but not so much late that they even miss the party!"_

"Huh?" Inari exclaimed and finally glanced around and realized that the fight was already over. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and mumbled in embarrassment, "Uh….. False alarm?"

Sakura chuckled under her breath and said fondly, "Idiots, the lot of them."

* * *

After the threat of Gatou was eliminated, the Villagers rejoiced. They all worked together and soon completed the bridge. With gatou gone, the shipping industry once again went into the hands of the people of the land of Waves. And now with the bridge completed, they had another way for trading and transport.

Kakashi would often be seen bickering with Zabuza, though most of the time their bickering escalates into a spar that usually decimates a good chunk of forest. When he is not annoying Zabuza, Kakashi is found reading that orange book of his, and giggling in a perverted manner, making anyone passing by him scoot away from him as far as possible. Sometimes though, Sakura noticed him staring at her with a nostalgic look, which she smartly decides to ignore.

Unsurprisingly, Haku and Naruto became fast friends. Naruto apologized to Haku for almost killing the other boy, and Haku forgave him and vice versa. Sakura would often find them strolling casually around the lake near tazuna's house and talking about everything in general.

Sasuke usually busied himself into training, and often grumbled about how Sakura was an idiot to ban him from training his Mangekyo. But even if he bitched about it, he still followed her orders. And if he sometimes clinged to Sakura and kept an eye on her when she went out…. She understood that he was only doing this for his own sake. The trauma of losing her was still embedded deep in his heart. If following her around like a lost puppy will sate his fear, then she has no qualms about it –unless he starts stalking her. Then she might have a problem with it.

And Sakura, well, for the time being was recurperating from her damaged chakra coils – _no thanks to Obito's coarse yin chakra that he had oh-so-graciously shared with her_ \- and hence cannot train her new Jutsu –even if she wanted to. Her teammates and Sensei had harped on her to tell them about how she escaped the icy dagger that should have pierced through her internal organs, but she would always shrug them off and somehow distract them. It's not like she didn't want to tell them, it's just, she didn't think it is the right time to tell them about her sharingan. They already have so much going through with their lives –what with the sudden tension between Naruto and Sasuke- that she didn't want to burden them more with her secrets.

It has been a week since the fight at the Bridge happened, and ever since then Naruto and Sasuke have been avoiding each other. They won't talk to each other, heck! They won't even look at each other! Dinner is always a tense affair, where Naruto would steal glances at Sasuke, while the Uchiha would pretend that Naruto doesn't even exist. The tension is always so thick that she swore she could cut it with a knife. Her friends were hurting, and it pained her to know that there was nothing she could do for them.

Sakura walked silently towards Naruto as he sat under a tree, and stared up at the twinkling stars of the night. He looked so peaceful that she hated ruining the tranquil atmosphere. But she had to resolve this issue –whatever it is between Naruto and Sasuke- before it escalates even further.

"Naruto," She greeted him with a soft smile, and the blonde boy turned to stare at her, "We need to talk."

Naruto grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Sure. What is it that you want to talk about, sakura?"

"You know very well what I want to talk about, Naruto." Sakura said sternly, and the grin fell off his face.

"It's about what Sasuke said at the bridge, isn't it?" he mumbled, and Sakura hesitantly nodded.

"Yes," Sakura said, "What-" She hesitated for a moment, but then decided to ask anyways. "What was all that about the orange chakra?"

"It's nothing." Naruto said quickly –a bit too quickly for her liking.

"It definitely is not nothing-"

"Look Sakura," Naruto cut her off, "I know you're worried about me and Sasuke-teme, but please, don't meddle into this. I-" he took a shuddering breath. "I can't tell you about that. Not now, at least." He stared forlornly at the moon in the night sky and whispered, "these are my demons. I don't to burden you with them."

"But you will tell us about them one day, right?" Sakura whispered softly.

Naruto stared into her imploring green eyes for a while and then sighed. "Yes, maybe." He shrugged.

"good." Sasuke said as he walked out from behind a tree where he had been hiding all tis time, and Naruto gawked at him. he kept talking as if he wasn't just eavesdropping their conversation and had been present with them the entire time. "We will wait for as long as it takes for you to come over your fears, dobe."

Naruto gaped at him. "What the hell, teme! You were hiding behind that tree this whole time?"

"Hn." Sasuke smirked, and Sakura snickered.

Naruto stared at Sakura accusingly and said "You knew he was there this whole time?!"

Sakura stared at him innocently, "Of course. You mean, you didn't know?"

Naruto yanked his blonde hair harshly and hissed, "You two are impossible!"

Sakura and Sasuke shared a grin.

**'So I take it, everything is fine then?'**  Obito wondered.

_'Not exactly,'_  Sakura mused as she stared at her teammates, and smiled softly.  _'But they will be.'_

"Naruto," Sakura said, "You know you can trust us, right? We won't judge you for whatever it is that you're afraid to tell us."

And just like that, the good mood evaporated in thin air.

Naruto's expression turned melancholic as he shook his head and smiled softly. "You're wrong Sakura." He whispered. "You're so wrong."

Sasuke and Sakura shared a look. There's something that their blonde menace of a friend was hiding from them, something that he thinks would make them abandon him if they ever came to know the truth. Whatever this truth is, it is weighing down heavily in Naruto's heart.

Well, the only solution is to make Naruto realise that they won't abandon him –no matter what happens, right?

_"_ _Turning sadness into kindness, Your uniqueness into strength…"_  Sakura sang softly as she walked towards Naruto, who stared at her with wide eyes.

Sasuke smirked and continued on, " _It's okay to get lost….. so begin walking, Once again, once again~!"_

Sakura laughed and patted Naruto's shoulder and exclaimed, "Sing with us, Naruto!"

Sasuke pulled Naruto up on his feet and mumbled, "Come on, dobe."

When the blonde just stared at them dumbfounded, they both sighed exasperatedly, and continued on.  _"_ _Do you like to be praised, by Answering everyone's expectations?"_

Sakura smiled sadly and whispered,  _"Will your smile always be beautiful_ _, Even if you hide your true self?"_

Sasuke and Sakura sang together,  _"Just dreaming the beginning…. then waking up_ _, the continuation can be reached someday by myself~"_

They both squeezed Naruto's shoulders each, and the blonde boy's eyes watered as he stared at him teammates – _no, friends_ \- and hummed softly,  _"The most important thing is always_ _, without any shape."_

Sasuke and Sakura beamed at him, and soon the three of them sang together throughout the night,  _"Even if you have it or lose it_ _, You'll never know!"_

Sakura tugged Naruto closer to them and they embraced him in a group hug.

_"Turning sadness into kindness, Your uniqueness into strength._

_It's okay to get lost so begin walking, Once again, once again!~"_

"T-Thank you, you two….." Naruto mumbled softly as he wiped his tears with his sleeve. Sasuke smacked his arm and shot him amock glare.

"Don't dirty your sleeves, dobe. I have tissue papers here." He said as he pulled out a tissue paper box from his pocket –and you know what, Sakura isn't even going to ask why the hell was he carrying a tissue paper box –of all the things!- in his pocket. Nope, not at all. That way lies madness.

"Bwah!" Unfortunately –for Sasuke- that must've broken Naruto's dam of tears as he clutched Sasuke's sleeves and wept. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke tried to release Naruto's hold on him, but to no avail. "Dobe! Let go, you loser!"

"Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Naruto wailed, and clutched Sasuke even tighter – _if that was even possible._

Sasuke sighed in defeat and gave Sakura a pleading look, who ignored the scene before her with practiced ease. She just smirked at him in amusement and replied, "Hey Sasuke, why don't you comfort Naruto while I take my much needed nap?" she then snickered and walked away from the clearing, and felt very giddy leaving Sasuke to his impending doom –or so he thought.

"Traitor! That's cheating, Sakura!" Sasuke hollered behind her, to which she answered in a sing-song voice-

"Ni-n-ja!~"

* * *

_**~The End of the Land of Waves Arc~** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *grins* And how many of you got the Goggle Gods reference? I'm sure there are many fan of Darkpetal16's out there. How many of you have read her amazing story "Sakura" and "How to obtain a reverse harem in Naruto"? I don't know about AO3, but her stories are definitely posted on Fanfiction.Net You can check it out there if you want.
> 
> P.S. The song sung by Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura in this chapter is actually one of the Opening titles of Naruto- "Kanashimi Wo Yasashisa Ni". Sorry, I couldn't resist. This song is actually in japanese, but I wrote it's English translated lyrics. I like this song, and couldn't help but use it in the story. And... I'm going to use it again in the future in this story.
> 
> So... I hope you liked this chapter. please review!


	16. Let the Chunin Exams Begin!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Seven is crazy. Period.

"A lot, actually." Sakura hummed under her breath as she read through a book called  _'Poisons and it's Brewing, For Dummies(Pt. 1)'_. She might be a decent medic but poisons make her head hurt. There were so many different types of poisons that can affect in different ways in different parts of body. Honestly, she'd rather study medicine than the art of poisons. She continued on saying "I learned that Sasuke has a strange mix of inferiority and superiority complex –and maybe a bit of brother complex and Naruto isn't as much of an idiot as he makes himself out to be. I also learned Bakakashi can be creepy –even more creepier than he already is. Oh and did you know that Zabuza is a Tsundere and Haku is a closet shopaholic?"

Sayuri sweat dropped. "I meant what new jutsu you learned Sakura, not what your teammates and acquaintances are up to these days."

"Oh sorry, sorry." Sakura said sheepishly. "Yes, in fact, I did learn a new jutsu."

Sayuri waited for Sakura to elaborate it, but the girl stayed silent. Sayuri stared at her granddaughter and raised a brow. "And…?" She batted her eyelashes innocently and said "Aren't you going to tell your dearest Granny about the new awesome Jutsu you've learned?"

Sakura smiled smugly and said in a teasing tone. "Nuh-uh, bad Granny. A Ninja doesn't reveal their tricks."

Sayuri chuckled. "True, true. Alright then, I'll wait till you reveal your tricks in the upcoming Chunin Exams."

Sakura blinked in confusion. "Chunin Exams?"

Sayuri placed the vials in the holder and then turned to her granddaughter and shot her a quizzical look. "You mean you didn't know? The Chunin Exams are being held in Konoha in two weeks' time."

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?"

* * *

A few days later, Team Seven were ecstatic for a D ranked mission – _since Kakashi promised them that it is a normal one and not one of those suicidal 'unluckies'_ \- but of course, since when do 'normal' and 'Team Seven' goes in the same sentence?

"You said it was a D rank, dattebayo." Naruto said as a twitch appeared over his blonde brow as he ducked down before he could be mauled.

"Yes I did." Kakashi-Sensei said in a far more cheerful tone anyone of them would have liked.

"You said it was a  _normal_  D rank mission," Sasuke muttered with a hint of betrayal in his tone and quickly substituted with a log before he becomes minced meat the very next second. "-where we only have to catch some rodents that are wreaking havoc on someone's backyard."

"Yes I did." Kakashi repeated as he turned a page of that blasted book of his and let out a perverted giggle.

"Then why the  _hell_  are we being chased after giant-sized  _RABBITS –of all the fucking things in this whole damn universe!_ \- who also happen to be CARNIVOROUS!" Sakura screeched in outrage and slammed a chakra enhanced fist into the mega-sized rodent  _that just won't fucking leave her alone!_

Kakashi, shifted a bit to lie even more comfortable on the branch of a very tall tree he had the fortune of finding, and answered without shifting his attention from his book. "Well, getting unluckies for D ranks seems to be normal for our team, so  _technically_ , I don't think I lied to any of you." he pointed out cheerily.

"Remind me again," Naruto grumbled as he created more shadow clones to deal with the rodent hell bent on making him his new chew toy. "Why haven't we mutinied yet, dattebayo?"

"'Coz that'd put a black mark in our records." Sasuke's Fireball jutsu made the monsters back away, but only for a while. "And we all have our goals that we can only achieve if we keep pursuing Ninja career."

"Shame," Naruto said in a mocking tone as he jumped over another one of those rodents, "I'm  _really_ tempted to ditch this ninja shit – _if all we do is get in danger in mere D ranks_ \- and be a Ramen Chef instead."

"Thank God you didn't. You saved so many lives by no torturing them with your cooking –or I'd say lack, thereof."

"Hey!"

"SHUT THE HECK UP AND GET THIS RODENT OFF ME, OR I SWEAR I WILL PUMMEL YOU TWO TO THE GROUND!"

Naruto and Sasuke winced. You must've guessed by now who said that.

While Sakura was busy keeping the two idiots in line – _yeah, right_ \- a rabbit managed to get a lucky shot in as his claws – _and isn't it weird that rabbits (who're supposed to be like the cutest rodents ever) are not only humongous and bloodthirsty, but have claws that can cut their skin as if it were butter_?- grazed Sakura's sides, making it bleed.

Sakura clutched her wounded arm as her green eyes darkened and she let out a huge amount of killing intent that not only froze the bloodthirsty rabbits, but also tripped Naruto and Sasuke -and even made Kakashi break out in cold sweat,  _not that he will ever admit it._

"That's it!" Sakura snapped angrily. "I'm fed up with all this crap!" The ground beneath her glowed as a sealing matrix displayed under her-

-and Naruto and Sasuke dove for cover. And not a second too soon as the seal flashed red and-

**_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_ **

* * *

"Do you even know how much trouble you're going to get me into with the Hokage?" Kakashi reprimanded to Sakura, who didn't look even a bit remorseful.

"I don't understand what it has anything to do with me." Sakura said defiantly as she shoved her hands in her pocket.

"You destroyed the entire Training ground Thirty Seven." Kakashi said flatly. "You really need to put a lid on your pyromaniac tendencies."

Sakura stared at him, unimpressed. "Maybe if you start acting like a real teacher and get us a normal D rank instead of those suicidal missions then we wouldn't even be in this mess." Sakura shot back at him.

**'Well said Sakura!'**  her Inner cheered.

"Why you-" Kakashi gave the girl a noogie, making her cry out in pain.

"Ouch! That hurts, you know!"

Naruto and Sasuke stood in sidelines and watched the antics of their fellow teacher and teammate.

"Hey," Naruto whispered to Sasuke, and for once he wasn't loud enough to grab Kakashi and Sakura's attention. "Ever since we've returned from the Waves Mission, don't you think that, Kakashi-Sensei acts around Sakura as if she is hi long lost best friend or something?" At Sasuke's unimpressed stare, he hastily corrected himself, "I mean, the way the both of them argue is even worse than us." He gestured at the two of them.

"I'd rather dance around in a pink tutu than ever agree to be your best friend, dobe." Sasuke said dryly.

Naruto didn't take any offense to that. Instead, he just beamed. "Don't worry Sasuke, I'll get you a  _really_   _pretty_  tutu. And the best part is, it's gonna be  _really_  orange!"

"You-!"

Since Sasuke was too busy strangling Naruto, he didn't notice the bird flying over their head with a green strip in their claws.  _'the Hokage is summoning the Jonins….'_ Kakashi thought wryly as he sighed. He then placed his hand over Sakura's pink hair, making her pause in her rant about  _how much sadist of a teacher Kakashi is that he won't let his genins do normal D ranked missions._

He then cleared his throat, catching attention of his cute little genins and said in a faux cheerful tone, "Well, I have to go report to the Hokage about how we failed a simple D ranked mission-"

"Simple, my ass." Sakura grumbled, and Kakashi ignored her with practiced ease.

"-no thanks to Sakura's pyromaniac tendencies-"

"Hey!"

**'You know it's true right?'**

_'…'_

**'What? Cat got your tongue?'**

_'I hate you, Inner.'_

**'Love you too, Sakura!'**

"so, you three are dismissed." Saying this, Kakashi disappeared in a flurry of leaves, leaving behind his three genins who shared a suffering look and sighed.

"So…" Sakura said a little too innocently. "Anyone up for a snack?" her two teammates shot her a look. She held up her hands in surrender "What? It has only been some hours since noon, and don't tell me that you two aren't hungry. We've been dealing with those bloodthirsty rodents since morning." She shrugged. "I don't know about you two, but I'm  _very_ hungry."

"Can we have Ramen?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Sure." Sakura said with a smile.

Sasuke sniffed haughtily. "I want more tomatoes in mine."

Sakura and Naruto snickered in unison. "No problem."

* * *

"Exactly a week from now, on the first day of July," The Hokage announced to the many shinobi standing before him, who had been summoned for this meeting. "Konoha will hold the Chunin Exams."

Kakashi hummed under his breath and mumbled, "That's quite soon." When the Hokage pinned him with a sharp stare, he just chuckled sheepishly and said, "Not that I'm complaining or anything, Lord Hokage."

"All right, it's time we chose the candidates for Chunin Examination." The Hokage said. "I would like the Jonin of the recently graduated rookie genin to step forward and tell us if any of them are ready to participate in the Chunin Exams."

Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma shared a look and Hiruzen resisted the urge to rub his temple. He knew those three had some sort of passive-aggressive argument going on about whose genin are better, and if even  _one_ of them enters their genin in the exams, the other two will definitely follow.

And Kakashi, being the dick he is, of course is confident in the abilities of his fellow students – _after all how many freshly graduated genin do you know of in any Hidden village who has encountered an A ranked Missing Nin and his minions and walked out unscathed? The list is so short that he can almost count all the names with his fingers._ So, of course, Kakashi Hatake stepped forward and bowed to the Hokage and announced, "I -Kakashi Hatake– lead Team Seven, which includes Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. I recommend all three of them for the Chunin exams."

Kurenai rolled her pretty red eyes and followed Kakashi's example as she too recommended her Team for the exams. "I lead Team Eight, that consist of Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. I –Kurenai Yuuhi- too, recommend all three for the chunin exams.

Not to be outdone by the two of them, Asuma too stepped forwards and exclaimed, "I, Asuma Sarutobi, lead Team Ten, and I recommend my three genin- Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi for the Chunin Exams."

"WHAT?!" Iruka protested, and Hiruzen turned towards him and raised his brow. The Academy Instructor resisted the urge to blush and continued on when the Hokage gesturd for him to continue, "Lord Hokage, I must object with these Jonins' decision. The genins they had just recommended were all once my Academy students some months ago. They haven't been genin for a long time. I think they need more experience before they can participate in the Chunin Exams."

Kakashi's lone eye narrowed at Iruka as he commented nonchalantly. "Well, I for one am glad that you care for your students, but remember Iruka," his eyes narrowed, "they aren't your students anymore. They are  _mine_ now."

Iruka bristled at him statement, offended. "Why, you-"

Asuma resisted the urge to bash his head against a wall. "There he goes again," he grumbled, "pissing off others with that stupid mouth of his that never stops spouting off any bullshit."

Kurenai just stared at the silver haired Jonin in amusement and muttered, "Possessive much, eh Kakashi? Since when did you care so much about your little minions?"

_'Since I found one of them is my reincarnated best friend.'_  Kakashi thought as he shot Kurenai a fake smile and said, "Well, I like having minions that I can order around anytime I want –especially minions as  _cute_  as them."

Kurenai and Asuma sweat dropped at Kakashi's words.

"Slave driver." Asuma mumbled.

"You never change, do you?" Kurenai let her head drop in her hands.

"Kids, kids, we know you're all pretty. Now can you please stop fighting?" A voice sounded from behind them, and everyone turned and found themselves staring at Sayuri Haruno, who was leaning against the entrance door with no care in the world.

"Sayuri," Hiruzen said in an accusing tone. "You're late."

"Yes, yes," She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture and rolled her eyes. "Your timing for meetings is as bad as ever. I was in the midst of a surgery, you know." She then turned to the three Jonins who had been bantering good naturedly in the midst of a meeting, as well as the red-faced Academy instructor who had been cut off before he could give the silver haired Jonin a piece of his mind. "Forgive me, I heard your discussion and I can't help but participate too." She then smirked and said, "And I think I have a solution."

"Oh?" Hiruzen said as he folded his hands and leaned forward a bit. Sayuri's way of dealing with anything is always entertaining. He wasn't about to say no to some good entertainment-  _even if it somehow always ends up in property damage, and in turn loads of paperwork for him. Damn paperwork._  "What do you have in your mind?"

She smirked and let out a sadistic chuckle, and Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai had a feeling they just dumped their genins in midst of a lion's den.

* * *

**(A Few hours later….)**

"Please….?"

"No."

"Preeeeeeeeeeeetty Please?"

"Nope."

Konohamaru pouted. "Come on big brother Naruto, please play 'Ninja' with us!"

"Yeah!" Moegi said with a nod.

"Uh-Huh." Udon muttered as he steadied his glasses.

"I'm in middle of my training, you know!" Naruto exclaimed. "I don't have time to play games with you!"

"'Training', yeah right." Sasuke deadpanned as he eyed the towering pile of bowls that Naruto had just finished in a matter of fifteen minutes. He mourned the dent in his wallet that he's  _definitely_ going to feel after this  _little_  lunch break. Why, oh why, did he think it was a good idea to let Sakura sweet talk him into paying for every one of them?

"But you promised us, big brother Naruto, that you'd play Ninja with us!" Konohamaru –the Third Hokage's bratty grandson- whined.

Sakura snickered and bumped her shoulder with Sasuke and said, "A ninja playing 'ninja', now that's ironic."

"Knowing dobe, you shouldn't even be surprised." Sasuke pointed out.

**'He has a point you know.'**  Obito said.

"HEY!" Naruto shot he two of them a glare as they laughed on his expanse, while trying his best to not let Konohmaru and his gang drag him away from his half eaten precious 20th bowl of ramen. "Ugh, fine!" he finally exclaimed. "I will play with you three. But on one condition." The unholy gleam in his eyes shot alarms ringing in Sakura and Sasuke's heads and they chose the wise decision of running for their lives before they get caught in the madness that Naruto is about to unleash.

"Grab them!" Naruto hollered and pointed at the two of them as they were about to make their grand escape.

_Too late._

* * *

"I can't believe we let the dobe talk us into playing ninja with the brats." Sasuke mumbled in disbelief as he let the brats chase him around the park, and avoided the wooden shurikens they throw at them every once in a while.

"It was either that, or letting Naruto prank us to hell." Sakura replied as she lazily dodged a wooden shuriken and let the children – _Naruto included, coz he can be such a child sometimes_ \- 'protect' her from the 'Missing-nin' Sasuke. "I don't know about you, but I would choose the first option as long as my hair isn't dyed in rainbow glitter."

Sasuke shuddered as he remembered that one prank the loser had somehow pulled off where he had dyed the Hokage's ANBU guards' hair a glittery rainbow color, and their porcelain masks were dyed pink –he had a feeling that was Sakura's doing, coz he had definitely noticed the shit eating grin she and Naruto had shared when Kakashi discretely patted their backs for a job well done.

For all his idiocy, Sasuke had to admit that the dead last is exceptionally skilled in traps and pranks – _not that he will ever agree it out loud._

Naruto's delighted laughter rang around the park as he, along with Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon, chased Sasuke around the park, while Sakura sat boredly in the midst of the kiddy sand-box and eyed the gradually darkening sky as the evening approached.

**'This is so boring!'**  Obito whined.

_'I know right.'_ Sakura sighed as she started drawing some doodles in the sand.

**'We could've used this time to train, and instead you're wasting it playing "Ninja".'**

_'I for one, like being a princess every once in a while.'_  Sakura thought wryly.  _'It's nice to be protected for once, instead of being the one protecting others.'_

Obito didn't have any retorts for that. Not that he wanted to retort to her. For all his insistence of making Sakura stronger so she doesn't suffer the same fate as him -or worse, Rin- he forgot that Sakura isn't a war veteran shinobi like he is. She is just a child, a child that has been born in peace time, not suffer through a war like he did.

"We will never let you harm the Princess!" Naruto boasted loudly, followed by the Konohmaru gang's cheers.

"Yeah, yeah." Sasuke rolled his eyes and flung a wooden shuriken towards Sakura, which was intercepted by Moegi at the last second.

"Fear not, Sakura-hime!" Moegi exclaimed. "We will protect you with our lives!"

Sakura smiled indulgently at the orange haired child and said dramatically, "I really am very lucky to have you protecting me, O' brave shinobi."

Sasuke snorted.  _Drama Queen._

* * *

The game lasted another fifteen minutes before the sun was setting down, and the first stars of the night made an appearance as they twinkled brightly in the gradually darkening sky.

"It's getting late." Sakura hollered as she stood up and dusted off the sand from the sand-box. "We should get going."

"Aw….." Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon whined.

"But we were having so much fun! Why don't we play just a little bit longer?" Naruto asked brightly as he bounced excitedly on his two feet.

"I, for one, don't want to explain their parents why they're late." Sakura pointed out. "And I'm sure neither does Sasuke." One look at the anti-social Uchiha and Naruto had to begrudgingly agree with them. The kicked puppy look he displayed melted her hart, and Sakura suggested, "Well, why don't we-"

CRUNCH!

She was cut off by the sound of twig snapping echoes around the park, the noise sounding creepier in the evening's ominous silence. The three genins immediately snapped in attention, and darted their eyes around, their hands hovering over their weapons' pouch. Logically, they shouldn't worry about something like this since Konoha is supposed to be a safe Village, and no harm should come to them inside the Village. But then again, Team Seven has to deal with all sorts of troubles on a daily basis, and they weren't about to take any chance.

"How many?" Sasuke asked quietly, his question obviously directed at Sakura.

"Their chakra is suppressed, I can't detect their exact location." Sakura answered back as she pursued her lips in a thin line.

"They?" Naruto exclaimed. "There's more than one?"

"It seems so." Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Either that, or someone let the creatures from FOD escape, since the chakra signature is quite similar to those stupid wolf/lion hybrids we fought a week ago."

Naruto whimpered. "Oh gods, not them, dattebayo." He prayed, "Please,  _anyone_  but them."

"Wha- What's going on?" Konohamaru stuttered questioningly as he quivered with fear, Moegi and Udon weren't faring any better.

Footsteps neared them, and soon, through the darkness of the trees, three pairs of golden eyes gleamed maliciously.

For a moment, a stunning silence surrounded the clearing, which was broken a moment later by the kids when one of the creatures stepped forth in the pale light emitted by the street lamp in the park. The creature's fur was greyish black, and most of his features were similar to that of a wolf – what with upright ears and pointed muzzle- however, the dark mane that adored his head was clearly unmistakable as a lion's trait. The hybrids were the size of a small pony, and towered an inch or two over the preteens. They are also very intelligent creatures- though they usually let their blood-thirst get to them and become annoyed very easily. Two more stepped forth, and growled lowly as they eyed the six humans hungrily.

Sasuke's onyx eyes bled red with sharingan as he weaved a genjutsu. Sakura shoved the kids behind her back as they whimpered, tears streaming down their faces as they trembled with fear.

At an unspoken command, the three hybrids jumped to attack, and backed off as shurikens and kunais rained before them in warning.

"Of course, it just has to be these fuckers." Naruto cursed as he rushed forth with a flash step and kicked a hybrid, making it skid backwards and glare at him hatefully.

"I don't know about you two, but I, for one, don't want to end up the dinner of those creatures." Sasuke said flatly and pulled out a wire as he did hand signs for Great Fireball, making the other two wolves back off.

"You probably won't even taste good to them, teme." Naruto quipped back, and –wait….  _Is he wrestling with that wolf/lion hybrid? Seriously? What is this, some sumo wrestling contest?_

"At least I'd still be tastier than you." Sasuke shot back as he dodged the creature before it could bite his head off.  _Phew, that was a close one._

"Not the time, guys." Sakura called out to them and then her eyes fell on the last remaining creature as it eyed her, and the kids behind her hungrily. She quickly created a shadow clone that engaged the third one in a battle. She was sure one of the kids almost pissed his pants. She crouched down and said in a quiet tone that only the kids could hear, "Hey brats, I'm going to give you your first super cool Ninja Mission." The three kids stared at Sakura's back as she continued on. "Make sure you don't get mauled by those creatures and get out of here while we engage them. Their claws are poisoned, and their saliva is also venomous. So don't let them bite you or even scratch you, okay? Oh and if you can, then find some adult and notify them of this situation."

Konohamaru shared a terrified look with his friends. "B-B-But-" he gulped in fear and admitted quietly. "I'm scared."

"Me too." Moegi mumbled tearfully.

"Mommy!" Udon wailed. "I want my Mommy."

Sasuke felt a twitch appear over his forehead.  _Scaredy cats_. He was damn sure Sakura would've blown these hybrids away to bits with her explosive seals, but she was not doing so coz she was stuck babysitting the brats.

"Don't be like that." Sakura said admonishingly as she turned her head a bit to them, and the kids stared at the small smile that bloomed on the corner of her lips. "Be like the brave shinobi who protected Sakura-hime from the dangerous missing Nin, and you'll be fine."

"But-" Konohamaru said, but was cut off by her.

"Trust me." she said with a smile, and for some reason that somewhat eased their fear. She winced when she read the memories of the clone that was just ' _killed'_  –Damn can these creatures bite. She can still feel the phantom sting from the bite in her shoulder.

The three kids exchanged a nod. "Alright."

Sakura pulled out a kunai from her weapon's pouch, and lunged at the hybrid, keeping it busy until the kids were out of the playground. As soon as she felt that they were at safe distance, she skidded backwards and whistled. A moment later, both Sasuke and Naruto appeared next to her with a body flicker, and the three of them stood back to back, with the creatures circling them and eyeing them as if they were their prey.

"You do realize what this all is about, right?" Sakura muttered quietly to Sasuke.

Sasuke whispered back, "I think I have an idea."

"what?" Naruto asked quizzically. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Sakura and Sasuke shared a look and sighed sufferingly. "Naruto…." Sakura explained, "You know what? Forget it. Let's just kick their asses and be done with it." She let out a tired yawn. "I'm tired from all the playing around we did today."

Sasuke snorted. "All you did was sit back and look pretty. I had to let three kids plus an idiot on a wild goose chase."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, offended.

One of the hybrids growled, the fur on his mane shifting with the breeze.

Sakura said, "Oh look, the mutt is being annoyed that we are not paying much attention to them. How cute." She cooed. She then smirked sadistically and pulled out a seal tag from her pocket and said, "Let's get this over with." The tag glowed,and then-

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

_(From a corner of the playground, a silver haired Jonin that stayed in the shadows -and has masked his chakra to the extent that not even his student can sense him- gave a log suffering sigh._

_He was damn sure he was going to hear an earful about the property damage his students are inflicting upon the playground._

_Damn Sakura and her pyromaniac tendencies.)_

* * *

Kiba yawned as he walked next to his teammates. "Well, that was boring. I thought they'd have much more fight in them, ya know."

"Woof!" Akamaru barked in agreement, as he sat perched on Kiba's head comfortably.

"I-I have to a-admit, t-that w-was e-e-easier than I-I had e-e-expected i-it t-to be." Hinata agreed timidly as she twiddled her fingers.

"That was to be expected." Shino mumbled as he adjusted his glasses. "Why? Because we are a team of Beast specialists."

The moonlight gleamed on the clearing they had just left, with scorch marks on the tree trunks and various holes and cracks around the clearing. There was a bigger hole in the middle of the clearing and in it lay three wolf/lion hybrids who had been beaten to within an inch of their lives.

_(Somewhere in the shadows, Kurenai smiled proudly at her team.)_

* * *

"My dress is all ruined!" Ino complained to Shikamaru as he leaned against a tree and yawned. "-and it's all because of you!"

"You offered to be the bait, troublesome woman." Shikamaru pointed out as he scratched his cheek lazily.

"Only coz I hadn't wanted to be some mutt's dinner!" She snarled back at him angrily.

Choji ignored the two of them and opened another packet of chips and started eating. "I'm just glad they didn't eat my tomato flavored chips."

Ino and Shikamaru shared a look and then sent him a flat look.

"And why would they even want to eat your chips?" Shikamaru said dryly.

"In case you didn't notice them chasing me around  _as if I was a piece of meat dangling before them_ , they are  _carnivorous_." Ino hissed.

Choji shrugged. "So what?" he held up his packet of chips and mumbled, "They're special edition."

The other two members of the Ino-Shika-Cho combo sighed sufferingly.  _Of-fucking-course._  Why did they even assume anything else?

"So….." Choji asked a moment later and eyed the three creatures – _that look like wolf but the mane had them doubting if it was a lion or simply a wolf_ \- that had been tied together and whimpered whenever any member of Team ten even glanced t them. "What should we do with these guys?"

Shikamaru waved his hand absently and said, "Meh, just leave them here. Taking them with us would be too troublesome." His grey eyes then took a thoughtful gleam and he mumbled, "besides, I have a feeling this was all a test, so someone should be around here –in case something goes wrong. I'm sure they can deal with this mess."

_(Up in the trees where Asuma had been hiding and watching his Team's progress, heard Shikamaru's comment and almost fell off the tree._

_Damn Lazy genius.)_

* * *

_"So? What do you say, Sayuri?"_

_"They pass."_

* * *

"You destroyed the playground." Kakashi said flatly as he eyed his three genins, who didn't even look apologetic.  _"Again."_

Naruto placed his pink finger in his ear and said, "And why are you saying it like it's anything new?"

Sasuke shrugged. "We destroy training grounds on a daily basis."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Honestly, why are you even surprised?"

Kakashi gave a long, suffering sigh. "Why do I even ask?"

The three geins snickered.

Her Inner guffawed,  **'At this rate, you're going to drive him to an early grave.'**

Sakura chuckled,  _'Who is to say I'm not planning exactly that?'_

**'Sneaky.'** Obito nodded approvingly.

A moment later, Sakura raised a pink eyebrow and asked, "So how did we do?"

Kakashi blinked. "About what?"

"The test, duh." She rolled her eyes.

Kakashi stared at her, flabbergasted. "You knew it was a test?"

The three genins stared at him as if he were an idiot.

Sasuke started on. "Three highly confined high C-Class animals escape the Forest Of Death, and attack the playground-"

"-which, by the way, is totally in the opposite side of the village-" Naruto interrupted.

Sasuke glared at Naruto for cutting him off in the midst of his sentence, but then continued as if he hadn't been interrupted at all. "-and attacked when no one was around, except us and three other Academy students."

"Not to mention no one ever came to check up on us, even after we set off an explosion in the midst of a playground, dattebayo." Naruto said.

Kakashi opened his mouth to argue, but Sakura cut him off.

"And the fact that you emerged not a moment later after we made a mutt-kebab out of those hybrids is another reason that proves that all that the mess that happened a hour ago was a test." Sakura said as she smiled sunnily. "So, did we pass?"

Kakashi groaned as his eye twitched. "You are too smart for your own good." And wasn't that the truth? Obito himself was a nightmare on his own, but an Obito with brains _? The world is doomed….._

He then grudgingly pulled out three forms and handed one to each of them. The three genins stared at the forms quizzically. "What are these?" sasuke asked.

Kakashi said, "These are the forms for registering in the Chunin Exams."

Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened as they snapped their heads towards Kakashi. "You mean…?" Sakura exclaimed.

Kakashi eye smiled at them and said "Yes, I recommended you three for the Chunin Exams." He then instructed them, "It's voluntary. If you don't want to participate, then you can try again next year."

Her Inner whooped in joy.  **'This is amazing Sakura! We're one step closer towards our goal!'**

_'Yeah!'_

Sakura couldn't help but laugh excitedly, and even Sasuke's lips twitched upwards in a smile –not that he will ever agree. Sakura turned towards Naruto and held his hands and jumped around cheerily, who clearly looked bewildered.

"Why so quiet Naruto?" Sakura asked as she grinned widely.

"Um…." Naruto, who had been quiet for about the whole time, asked, "What are the Chunin Exams?"

_Cue a two minute silence._

Sasuke sighed.  _Of course_ , they should've known that Naruto would know Jack shit about Chunin Exams. For heaven's sake, the boy hadn't attended many lessons in the Academy, and the ones he did always somehow ended with him pranking a teacher and ending up in detention.

"Naruto…." Sakura demanded. "You seriously don't know what Chunin Exams are?"

Naruto looked at anywhere but her and answered timidly, "Um….. no?" he winced when Sasuke sighed despairingly and Sakura looked like she wanted tear her hair apart from their roots from frustration.

Sakura and Sasuke shared a look and sighed in unison. "We're doomed….."

* * *

.

.

.

**(A Week later….)**

_(Location- Room 301 of the Konoha Ninja Academy)_

_(Time- T minus fifteen minutes before the Chunin Exams officially begins)_

_._

_._

_._

"Oi Hinata!" you coming?" Kiba asked in his loud tone as he placed Akamaru over his head, who yipped in delight.

"U-Uh, yes." Hinata mumbled as she followed Kiba into the room that Kurenai sensei had told them to come to register their forms for the Chunin Exam. She resisted the urge to flinch as she became aware of various eyes that settled upon her team as soon as they entered the designated room. The tension and mid-levels of blood-thirst in the air made her want to flee from this place and never come back. She had never been good with being center of attention, and the current situation didn't help her nerves at all. She wished Naruto and Sakura were here, at least then she will feel somewhat at ease with the familiar presence of her best friends –or maybe faint from Naruto's close proximity, whichever comes first.

"Don't worry Hinata." Shino said quietly next to her, making her jump in surprise. She hadn't even noticed him next to her! "You will be fine." He continued on, ignoring her startled expression. "Why? Because all of us have practiced hard for it."

"Y-Yes." Hinata stuttered as she scanned her eyes around the room, looking for any familiar faces. Maybe Sakura and Naruto are here too…..?

She recognized Cousin Neji and his teammates, and quickly looked way before he could notice her stare. She didn't want to piss him off even more than he usually is.

She quickly glanced over the creepy team from Sound that was definitely emitting some KI. She'd have to make sure to stay away from them. They don't look like they're up to anything good.

Her eyes scanned the rest of her opponents, and soon fell on a team from Suna that consisted of a blonde girl with four pony tails, a boy wearing make-up – _and wasn't that strange?_ \- and a red haired boy with a gourd on his back. Her eyes zeroed on a red tattoo over the side of his forehead. She squinted her eyes to make out what the tattoo meant, and when the boy turned his head a bit, she could clearly see the kanji for 'Love'. Wondering why would a boy her age would want a tattoo like that – _over his forehead no less_ \- she glanced back at his face, and was startled to find him staring directly at her.

His teal eyes bore into her and sent a shiver down her spine. Her mother used to say that  _'Eyes are windows to the soul.'_  This boy's eyes showed a height of madness and insanity that she has never seen. She'd have backed away the moment she met his eyes, but something stopped her. Whether it be the loneliness that she could recognize in midst of all that madness – _loneliness that she has seen in Naruto's bright blue eyes so many times_ \- as well as pain – _which she had watched in Sakura's warm green eyes when her brother died._  Why did this boy - _this strange, foreign boy_ \- who looked like a maniac killer that wanted to kill every single person in this room and bathe in their blood, somewhat reminded her of Naruto and Sakura?

"Oh look, I found the idiot trio!" Kiba beamed, snapping her out of her trance.

"Who are you calling the idiot trio, you damn dog boy!" Ino snapped as she walked towards Team Eight along with her team.

Kiba snickered. "I never said I was talking about you, now, did I?"

"Why you-"

Shikamaru sighed and yawned. "Troublesome."

Choji munched of his chips and nodded at Team Eight. Shino nodded back.

"A-Ano….." Hinata asked, and resisted the urge to shrink when the others' eyes snapped to her. She took a deep breath and asked, "D-Do you think T-Team Seven will be here t-too?"

Ino scoffed. "Who cares about forehead! I'm sure Sasuke will definitely come!" She sighed dreamily and mumbled, "Oh, Sasuke….."

"Yeah," Kiba agreed. "No way that damn Naruto will miss a chance like this."

The corner of Shikamaru's lips twitched upwards and he mumbled, "I bet they're late coz of Sakura. She must be on one of her 'grocery errands for an old lady' again."

The others snickered.

"Betting against you will be counterproductive." Shino mused. "Why? Because for all we know, that might be actually true."

Shikamaru didn't pout, but his expression was close enough. "Oh man, what a drag."

* * *

"Sakura! You're late!"

"Sorry, Sasuke! I was helping old lady Akari with her groceries and lost track of time."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Let's just go, dattebayo! I can't wait to participate in the Chunin exams!"

***grins***  "You know the plan, right?"

"Yup."

"Hn."

***sighs***  "For heaven's sake, sasuke, how many times have I told you?! 'Hn' is not any word! Please update your vocabulary!"

***smirks***

"Why you-"

* * *

Hinata chuckled. Of course, if Team Seven is participating, then it is more than likely that they might be late thanks to Sakura and her antics.

Shikamaru looked around and then sighed. "come on, let's just move to a corner or something. Standing in the center of a room filled with antsy genins is such a drag."

"Everything is troublesome for you!" Ino complained but followed with his suggestion. Choji, Kiba and Shinowere behind them. Hinata was about to follow them when someone bumped into her, amking her stumble back a bit.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the one who bumped into her exclaimed. "You aren't hurt, are you? Are you?"

"I-I'm fine." Hinata said with a jerky nod.

The girl sighed and said, "Ah thank goodness! I thought I hurt you or something!" She squinted her eyes and said "You definitely are alright, right? Right?"

Hinata resisted the urge to poke her fingers. This girl is so hyper, she reminded her of Naruto on a sugar high.

"I-I'm okay. Really." Hinata stressed.

The girl gave her a beaming smile, and then held out her hand. "You're so nice!" She gushed. "Will you be my friend?"

_Uh….. what?_

Hinata stared at the strange girl with bewilderment. Is this girl even for real? They were about to compete in the Chunin exams, and here this girl is asking if they could be friends?  _Like, seriously?_

"A-Ano… I-I don't even know you…" Hinata said softly.

"Oh right!" the girl slapped her forehead and sighed. "I'm such an idiot!"

The girl then smiled brightly, making her orange eyes gleam with joy. Her light blue-green hair contrasted with her sun kissed skin, but nothing could outshine the bright gleam in her orange eyes.

"Hi, I am Fuu from village Hidden in Waterfall!" the girl exclaimed, "I came to the Chunin exams to make one hundred friends!"


	17. There's always a Loophole.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *shakes her head* And this is why you never mess with Team Seven. Coz the level of bullshit they deal with daily is nothing to scoff at.

Ibiki Morino, the Head of Konoha's T&I Department, eyed the genin gathered in the Classroom and curled his lips up in distaste. Well, well, he's gonna have a lot of fun mentally scarring – _er, examining_ \- these baby faced genins.

He body flickered into the classroom, along with twenty or so chunins who have been tasked with this job and smirked in satisfaction as most of the genins jumped up, startled at their sudden entry.

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed some genins shuddering as they eyed the slanted scars on his face that started from his right eyebrow, and ended up almost centre of his lips and resisted the urge to chuckle. Honestly, it is too easy to terrorize these genins.

"Listen up you baby faced genins! It's time to Begin the Chunin Exams!" He barked, and the eyes of every genin in the room snapped up to him. He smirked and said, "I am Ibiki Morino, your proctor, and from this moment, your  _worst_  nightmare." He then let out a small, but potent amount of Killing Intent, and most of these wimpy genin trembled in fear.

The effects of his KI still lingered in the air even after he stopped releasing it. Beads of sweat rolled down various genins necks, as they gulped in terror. The fear lingered in the air.

Ibiki smirked. Now he has the situation under control…..

CRACK!

The windows shattered and three preteens jumped in, landing right in front of Ibiki and the chunin proctors, who had crouched down in a battle ready stance at the sudden noise. They all looked bewildered – _proctors and genins alike_ \- at the three preteens, who panted as they tried to stand up.

"I told you it was a bad idea to get in through the window!" The pink haired one snarled. "But when have you two idiots ever listened to me!"

The blonde boy scoffed. "Oh shut it, you! Even if you bitch and moan about it, you have to admit, it was an amazing and dramatic entrance, worthy of Bak-"he hastily reiterated, "-er, I mean, Kakashi-Sensei."

"I totally agree….." the raven haired boy said woozily, his eyes spinning dazedly. He shook his head and exclaimed, "Let's do that again!"

"Denied!" the other two snarled and smacked the back of his head in unison.

Ibiki cleared his throat, and the three preteens – _most likely genins-_  snapped their eyes to him. He squinted his eyes – _why the hell do they look so familiar?_ \- and suddenly, something clicked in his mind. He has seen these three doing abnormal D ranked missions – _or 'unluckies'_ \- around the T&I Department.

"Kakashi's brats, I assume?" he asked dryly, because of course only  _his_  genins would have the gall to be late on the day of their Chunin Exams.

The black haired boy  _beamed_. Ibiki narrowed his eyes. There is something  _seriously_  wrong with this situation. Isn't the Last uchiha supposed to be broody and socially stunted?

"Uh yeah!" He said, and the other two stomped on his foot, making him yelp out in pain.

"Oi!" The pink haired girl hissed lowly – _not in low enough tone that the others couldn't hear it_ \- and said, "Don't you recognize who he is?"

"Who?" the last Uchiha asked in confusion.

The blonde boy shivered. "The scary guy from T&I."

The Uchiha boy blinked. "That Ibisuke guy?"

The chunin proctors behind him tried their best to hold their snickers in, in case they offend Ibiki somehow – _because dude, Ibiki is NOT someone to be messed with!_ Ibiki glowered at the Uchiha boy for butchering his name, and nodded in satisfaction when his two teammates flanking his sides grabbing each an ear and  _pulled_.

"It's  _Ibiki_ , you moron!" the blonde – _Uzumaki, his mind supplied_ \- hissed.

"Do you NOT have any sense of self-preservation?" the pink haired girl snarled at him.

Ibiki resisted the urge to rub his temple. He had a feelings things are gonna get  _really_  interesting from now on.

* * *

**'I knew this is gonna be a bad idea.'**

_'then why didn't you warn me earlier?'_

**'Nah, too much work. Besides, I wanted a chance to laugh at you as you make a fool of yourself.'**

_'You little-'_

"Alright brats!" Ibiki said as soon as the each genin sat down on the seats assigned to them. "Now let's start the written test!"

The three members of Team Seven froze. No way!  _Did he just say-_

"Um," the Uchiha boy raised his hand up, and asked hesitantly, "Did you just say Written Test?"

Ibiki shot him a quizzical look. "Yes."

Sasuke  _wailed_. "NO! Why does the Universe hates me so much?!"

The reactions of the other two members of Team Seven weren't any different. They shot a long, suffering sigh heavenward, as if asking for more strength and then-

THUNK!

They smacked their heads on the desk, startling their neighbors as they moaned in unison.

"We're doomed."

* * *

_._

_._

_._

**_Earlier….._ **

_"I have a plan." Sakura said as she sat on one of the three stumps on Training ground Three –the same place where they had their bell test. Naruto was sitting on the grassy ground, staring up at her, while Sasuke leaned against a stump next to hers._

_Naruto snorted. "We don't need a plan Sakura!" he exclaimed. "We are so awesome that all we need to do is kick everyone's ass, and then sweeeeeeeeeeeee! We'll be Chunins!"_

_Sasuke grunted in agreement._

_Sakura sighed. "You don't understand." She said as she eyed those two. "There are gonna be genins from all around the Five Great Nations attending the Chunin Exams. There is a chance that there might be some stronger genins participating in the Chunin Exams, about whom we know nothing about." She went into lecture mode, "A good Ninja doesn't go into enemy terrirtory ill-informed."_

_Naruto shot her a quizzical look, "What enemy territory?"_

_Sasuke released a long, suffering sigh. "It's nothing you should worry your non-existent brain over, dobe."_

_Naruto nodded sagely, "Ah, okay." He repeated Sasuke's statement in his mind, and snarled when he realised the boy just insulted him. "Sasuke, teme-!"_

_"Stop it you two!" Sakura hissed at them, and they both shut up. What? Sakura is **scary** , okay? If you feel so incredulous, why don't  **you**  try poking her anger? Then you'll know how scary she really is._

_"So, what plan did you came up with?" Sasuke asked._

_Sakura scratched her cheek and shifted on the stump. Damn it's uncomfortable sitting on a wooden stump. Next time she'll bring a cushion to sit on. "Look, I'm sure that there will be many people in the exams who will intent to fight us. Especially you Sasuke, being the last Uchiha and all." Sasuke expression darkened at her choice of words. Sakura hastily continued on, "So, I suggest we gather information about worthy opponents during the First Stage of the Chunin Exams, and then strike back the enemy with that knowledge."_

_Naruto asked quizzically, "Wait, how do you know there are gonna be multiple stages for the Exam?"_

_Sakura rolled her eyes, "Naruto, there are gonna be hundreds of genins participating in the Exams. The people-in-charge can't just organize a free-for-all and be done with it."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Dobe, we're Ninja, not samurai." Sasuke sighed exasperatedly. "Ninjas have to use their brains too, not just brawns and a code of honor like samurai do."_

_"Besides," Sakura added, "The proctors will need to test us on various skills that makes one a worthy Ninja, like- Information gathering, Intelligence, torture and interrogation, team tactics, sabotage and infiltration, etc." by the time she was done, Naruto was sporting a headache from information overload._

_"_ _My head hurts."_ _Naruto moaned._

_Sasuke and Sakura rolled their eyes. "Moron." They said in unison._

_Sakura clapped her hands to grab their attention. "So, my plan is that in the first Test, we will transform into each other and gather information about our fellow foes. How does that sound?"_

_Sasuke nodded. "Good enough."_

_Naruto exclaimed, "Yeah, I can do that."_

_Sakura sighed. "Okay, so Naruto, you will transform into Sasuke. Sasuke will transform into me, and I will transform into Naruto. Deal?"_

_"Deal!"_

_._

_._

_._

* * *

**_(Present)_ **

**Rule no.1:** \- The written Test is based on point reduction system. Everyone begins with a test of hundred points. One point is deducted for each wrong answer.

**Rule no. 2** :- Teams will pass and fail on total scores of all three numbers.

**Rule no. 3:** \- the chunin proctors are here to watch for any signs of cheating. For every cheating they spot, they deduct two points from the cuplrit's score. If they catch the culprit five times, the genin will be dismissed.

**Rule no. 4:-**  If any candidate gets zero and fails the test, then the entire team fails.

**Rule no. 5:-**  The final question will be given fifteen minutes before the end of exam."

"Now let the test begin!" Ibiki said, and soon every gennin started on their test.

'Naruto' skimmed his eyes over the questions in the test paper and sighed. They were all high level questions, there's no way any average genin can answer them. Each question requires high analytical and logic reasoning skills, which not everyone possesses. Well, 'he' can solve these problems easily, considering 'his' bookworm tendencies and smart brain. But even Sasuke will have problem in solving these questions – _she can only imagine how much the real Naruto must be panicking right now!_

The questions are so hard that only a handful of people in this room knows the answers. It's almost impossible to solve on our own. It's like the proctors are trying to get them to cheat.

_'_ **That's it!'**  Inner exclaimed,  **'that is what they're after!'**

_'Huh?'_

**'Don't you understand? They're testing your information gathering skills! Didn't you say the Chunin Exams will test everyone's skill set that requires to be a Chunin?'**

_'Oh yeah! That means they actually want us to cheat!'_

'He' scratched his cheek.  _'But will Naruto-_ who is transformed as Sasuke _\- will recognize this test for what it really is?'_

**'Probably not.'**  Inner snickered.  **"He's probably too busy panicking like a headless chicken to notice something wrong with the test.'**

Sigh.  _'That sounds just like him.'_

* * *

_'I'm doomed._ ' 'Sasuke' let his head fall in his hands, and whimpered.  _'I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm DOOMED!'_

He glanced down at the written paper and glared at the offending thing.  _Of all the things in the world, why does it have to be a written test!_

Okay, okay, panicking won't help him in this situation. What would Sakura –hell, even Sasuke-teme- do if they were in this situation?

Hm, he is sure they will at least try to answer the questions to these questions to the best of their abilities.

Sighing in relief at his plan, his eyes skimmed over the first question- yeah  _no_ , he didn't understand a thing.

_Next._

He read the next question and resisted the urge to moan. What the hell has the shuriken's trajectory anything to do with throwing a shuriken?! If you wanna throw a shuriken at any enemy, then throw it dammit!

_Next one._

He didn't even read half of the question before skipping to the next one. He  _hated_  geography.

And this is how the next fifteen minutes were wasted as he tried – _and failed_ \- to answer at least one question.

_'Sakura and Sasuke-teme are gonna kill me.'_  Naruto, who is actually disguised as 'Sasuke', whimpered.

(The poor boy was unaware of a pair of snake-like eyes watching him.)

* * *

'Sakura' – _who is actually Sasuke in disguise_ \- sighed as 'she' read the questions. 'she' didn't even know the answer of a single one.

So, there's really no other option than to cheat, huh. They had heard from Kakashi about the sadistic head of T&I and his mind games, but experiencing them first hand is quite terrifying. Not only that, but 'she' was sure that the chunin proctors were having the time of their lives, deducting points and dismissing candidates one by one with their eccentric methods – _what with throwing kunais and senbons at the dismissed genins desks, just an inch from their hands_. It's like going through Kakashi's unluckies all over again. Sakura – _the real one_ \- called it Psychology warfare – _well, she says it along the lines of 'Bakakashi and his sadistic tendencies'_ (her words, not his).

Well, that means, there has to be someone here with correct answers to these stupidly high level questions.

Well, since the proctors want them to cheat, then 'she' will, and without getting caught too. Casting a minor genjutsu to make 'her' eyes appear the original vibrant green colour like Sakura's, 'she' activated her sharingan – _which is hidden by the genjutsu and hence to everyone else, her eyes will appear green_ \- and eyed everyone in the room. To the corner of 'her' eyes, 'she' saw a genin calmly answering the questions in a sedate pace. That one  _definitely_  knows the answers.

Smirking, 'she' copied his hand and arm movements, as well as the movements of his pen. Well, well, looks like 'she' got the right guy.

Now, let's do what 'she'  _really_  came here for.

* * *

'Naruto' played with 'his' pencil absentmindedly, trying to think of some way to get the  _real_  Naruto to pass the test, or else Sasuke – _the real one_ -is gonna throttle him to death – _literally_ \- for ruining his reputation and all. It has been twenty five minutes since the test began, and 'he' still hasn't written a single answer on 'his' test.

Okay, so every time anyone cheats, two points will be deducted. Maybe they should find a way to get him to cheat without getting caught? But how so?

Maybe (s)he should cast a genjutsu on the disguised blonde.

**'Yeah, no.'**  inner mumbled. ' **Even if we know where he is –thanks to our chakra sensing skills- it will be quite difficult to cast a genjutsu that far. Besides, we're shit at genjutsu casting, even with the sharingan.'**

Well, there goes that idea.

Then what should they do?

'He' rubbed 'his' temple, and resisted the urge to groan. Ugh, (s)he never knew getting someone else to cheat could be such a headache!

"Um, Naruto?"

'He' blinked and glanced to the person next to him, that happens to be Hinata. "Oh hi Hinata. You needed something?" he asked with a grin.

The Hyuga heiress blushed. "U-Um if you want, y-you can see m-my answers."

Huh? Why would 'he' need her answers?

'His' eyes fell on the pencil in 'his' hand that 'he' had been twirling carelessly, and 'he' resisted the urge to smack 'his' head. Of course while 'he' had been distracted, 'he' hadn't written a single answer on 'his' test paper, and since (s)he is disguised as the dead-last of the Rookie Nine, it really is a no brainer that Hinata thinks 'he' is panicking coz 'he' knows jack shit about this test.

Grinning, 'he' said "Don't worry Hinata! I'll be fine on my own. Besides, I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble because of me."

Hinata's eyes widened and her blush deepened. "He cares about me…" She whispered in a low tone, but 'he' still heard her and shot her a pitying look.

**'That dense idiot, when will he ever realize this girl likes him? It's so darn obvious!'**

Well, Naruto will have to wait, first (s)he has a test to score. Shaking 'his' head, 'he' grabbed the pencil and got onto work.

Five minutes later, with all questions answered (with introduction, explanation, equations, diagrams and graphs –along with doodles of Bakakashi reading porn in the corners of the paper) 'he' nodded satisfactorily, ignoring the flabbergasted looks Hinata and the Chunin proctors that had been glaring at 'him'a while ago.

Sighing, 'he' leaned against his chair. Now let's do something about this Naruto problem.

Okay, so since Genjutsu is out of question, 'he' needs to find a solution, and fast. Naruto isn't smart enough to realise that this test is all about cheating, and really, 'he' can't think of any way 'he' can help Naruto cheat.

_There has to be a loophole in these stupid rules!_

The total score will be judged by total of all three candidate's marks. If any one of them gets zero, the whole team disqualifies. Each time anyone cheats, two marks are deducted.

**'Wait, what if someone cheats only once, and gets two marks deducted in order to help someone else cheat?'**

Cue a two minute silence.

_'Inner, you're a genius!'_  'he' screamed mentally, startling poor Obito.

**'Um, thanks?'**

Grinning, 'he' grabbed his test paper as a plan formed in 'his' mind.

* * *

'Sakura' eyed other genins, noting those who cheated subtly, and mentally noting their faces and skills. There was Ino who used her Yamanaka Clan's Mind Jutsus, and then Shikamaru used his shadow possession to attach his shadow to Ino's and then Choji's to share the answers. Smart.

And then there's Neji's team, where the brown haired girl showed an exceptional use of mirrors and helped the bushy brows boy cheat. Neji just used his Byakugan and got the answers.  _Che, how uninteresting._

Kiba let his stupid dog – _Akamaru, his mind supplied_ \- sit on his head, and the dog looked for answers and told them to Kiba.  _So the dog boy does understand dog language, huh?_ Then there was Shino, who used his bugs to cheat.

And then there were these interesting Suna genins, especially the red haired boy. He would've gone unnoticed if 'she' hadn't noticed the sand sphere – _which looked like an eyeball_ \- hovering above their heads.  _Interesting…._

The green haired girl from Hidden waterfall did something strange. She just did some hand-signs and closed her eyes. If 'she' hadn't activated her sharingan, 'she' wouldn't have noticed the chakra waves that the girl emitted, that scanned the room first, and then locked on the genin who wrote the answers correctly. Then the waves were emitted towards her teammates, who then wrote the answers down. It's like she was emitting some sort of radio signals.  _How Fascinating…_

He dully noted a red haired girl using her chakra sensing skills to get correct answers. He vaguely noted how she created some seal in a span of ten seconds and wrapped it on her pencil and started writing the answers-he also noticed how two more people in the room wrapped strange seal cards on their pencils too and started writing at the same time the girl did. Curious.

So many fascinating opponents, so little time…. 'she' was glad 'she' agreed to Sakura's plan of Information gathering. It's really exciting to note so many interesting opponents 'she' might get to fight later.

'She' was snapped out of 'her' thoughts as 'Naruto' – _who is actually Sakura in disguise_ \- stood up, grabbing the attention from everyone in the room.

"Did you need something, brat?" Ibiki – _the sadistic head of T &I_\- asked.

'Naruto' smiled sweetly, "Not from you." saying this, the idiot got off from his seat and walked two lanes away, towards the real Naruto – _disguised as Sasuke_ \- and slammed 'his' test paper down. 'he' smiled sweetly, "Here Sasuke, let me borrow your answer-sheet! I'm sure you've written all correct answers by now!" 'he' then grabbed his paper, and nodded, "I'm taking this one! I'm sure you can write copy answers once again on this paper, with those funky red eyes of yours, right!?"

Sasuke –disguised as Sakura- smirked. Good old Sakura. She wrote correct answers, and then switched her answer sheet filled with correct answers with the idiot's – _most probably empty_ \- test paper. This way, all three of them can pass, with only two marks deduction from 'Naruto's side.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Ibiki roared.

'Naruto' gave him a questioning look. "What? You said you will deduct two points every time we cheat. So what if I cheat only once, but get all correct answers in that time? Then you will deduct only two points from me, and in this way none of us will be disqualified!" he paused and then added dismissively, "Also, Sasuke is smart. I'm sure he will write all those answers once again."

Saying this, 'he' walked back to his seat, and sat down, like the over-smart asshole 'he' is.

'She' could literally see the fume coming out of Ibiki's ears. He must have never expected anyone to find a loophole in this situation.

"Alright, I'm adding a new rule now." Ibiki seethed. "no one gets to pull that stunt again, or else they're disqualified  _immediately_."

(Sasuke whistled. Damn Sakura, you really pissed that Scary guy off, huh?)

* * *

"Alright!" Ibiki barked as soon as there were only fifteen minutes left for the hour to end up. "It's time for the tenth question.

The three members of Team Seven sat straight. They have a feeling it's gonna be  _really interesting._

* * *

**(somewhere in the Jonin Louge…..)**

_Chunin exams, Stage One –concluded._

_Number of Contestents passed- 78_

_Total number of Teams passed- 26_

_Signed-_

_Ibiki Morino_

_Proctor of Stage One of Chunin Exams_

Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and Gai eyed the file in disbelief.

"That many passed?" Asuma mumbled as he shifted his cigar between his lips. "And  _Ibiki_ was the proctor?"

"The genins this year must be in their springtime of youth! HOW YOUTHFUL!" Gai exclaimed with his usual weirdness – _what with the sunset genjutsu and all._

"What about our teams?"Kurenai asked eagerly. "Did they pass?" she asked Ibiki who just stepped into the Jounin Louge Room, rubbing his temple as he could feel a massive headache blaring in his head.

"Yeah, yeah," ibiki said absentmindedly. "All of yours teams passed."

The three Jonins cheered. Ibiki's eyes fell on Kakashi, who was sitting on the sofa, reading his  _quality_  literature lazily. "You-!" he growled and stormed towards the silver haired Jonin and snatched his book away.

The Copy nin pointed at himself, with an innocent expression of ' _Who? Me?'_

Ibiki growled. "Yes,  _you!_ " he snarled at him. "What kind of  _monsters_  did you train this time!"

Kakashi blinked at him innocently. "What did they do now?" his innocent expression was immediately wiped out, and replaced by that of terror and he exclaimed, "Don't tell me… did Sakura set the room on fire or something?"

Ibiki eyed the Jonin in disbelief. "No! It's even worse!" he hissed. "Not only did they come late to the test-!" (Kakashi mumbled, "That's not surprising.") "but they also fucked up with my test through Seven hell!"

Kakashi's reply was a very understanding one. NOT!

"What?"

Ibiki threw three test papers in his face, and Kakashi caught them with ease. He eyed the three papers- one of them was in Sasuke's handwriting – _but why is Sakura's name on top of it?_ \- the next two had same handwriting too as well as doodles (Why would they doodle a chibi!Kakashi with pink glittery hair?!), and he recognized it as Sakura's but (He blinked and then rubbed his eyes, wondering if he were in a genjutsu) _why were the both of them have Naruto's name on top?!_

"What is it?" Kakashi asked, flabbergasted.

"Not only your students fucked up with my test in  _worst way possible_  by finding a fucking  _loophole_  in my test," Ibiki hissed seethingly, "but they had also transformed into each other and fooled everyone!" he pointed at the papers in Kakashi's hands and said, "if I hadn't caught the same name on the two papers, I wouldn't even have caught the whiff of their plan!"

Kakashi scratched his masked cheek. "that's it?" he asked warily.

Ibiki snorted. "You wish." He continued on, "During the tenth question, the three of them got so fed up with my mind games that one of them –the one who was disguised as the Last Uchiha- flipped off the  _freaking table_ and started yelling about  _how he will never run away from anything and he doesn't care he'll be a genin forever –he'll still somehow be Hokage someday_ ; while the one disguised as the Uzumaki brat started lecturing about importance of teamwork. And the third one just shook his head in the background and mumbled about Morons." Ibiki sighed heavily. "Because of them, many more genins passed than I was expecting." He glared at Kakashi, "Your genins are evil.  _Evil._ "

Kakashi gave Ibiki a closed eye smile, as his heart warmed with pride for his students. "So even you agree that my minions are  _amazing,_  right?"

Ibiki's aggravated screams were music to his ears, honest.

* * *

Sasuke was throttling Naruto, who was choking and pleading mercy.

"Sasuke," Sakura sighed in exasperation. "You're gonna kill him at this rate."

"Who cares?!" Sasuke hissed. "I surely don't!"

"M-Mercy!" Naruto exclaimed as Sasuke's grip tightened around his throat –Oh, he's turning blue with the lack of air.

"Sakura gave you her fucking answer sheet with correct answers." Sasuke hissed, "All you had to do was to  _write. My. Name._ " His sharingan activated, adding to the terrifying visage, "So why the fuck did you write  _your_ name instead of  _mine_?"

"jdbkjfkrnddkjjwdbdkrnfoir-" Naruto mumbled some gibberish – _and is that foam coming out of his mouth?!_

"Sasuke!" Sakura admonished him as she wrung Sasuke's hands, making Sasuke release Naruto, who gasped and took in deep breaths. "Don't kill him! we still need him for completing the Chunin exams!"

"Glad I'm so important to you, dattebayo!" Naruto said dryly.

Sasuke glowered at her. "Because of him, I got  _zero_  marks on the test.  _Zero._ "

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up. We still passed in the end, didn't we?"

_"Zero."_  Sasuke mumbled, distraught – _and are those two commas in his both sharingan eyes? When did it evolve more?_ Sakura didn't know the trauma of getting zero marks can actually  _evolve_  a sharingan. Good to know.

Sakura shot Naruto a look. "You traumatized him." She said accusingly.

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Ehehehehehe, I'm not that amazing, Sakura!"

SMACK!

"I WASN'T COMPLIMENTING YOU, YOU MORON!"


	18. the Intent to protect.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Forest of Death and Team Seven's usual Shenanigans. Do i need to say anything else~

The Training Ground Forty Four – _also known as the 'Forest Of Death_ '-is quite different than most training grounds in the Hidden Leaf Village. The trees were taller and bigger than most tropical trees, forming a broad canopy that doesn't let much sunlight through them, and they housed terrifying creatures most of them happen to be highly venomous and carnivorous. Not many shinobi liked to go into the training ground Forty Four, and those that do aren't exactly the average shinobi. People like Anko Mitarashi, who thinks of the Forest of death as her own backyard, are very rare people, and rightfully totally insane.

And because the Universe loves trolling with Team Seven, _of course_  the next Stage happened to be taking place in the Forest of Death, and  _of course_  their next proctor happened to be  _Anko Mitarashi._

"Um….." Sakura said as she tentatively raised her hand, "Can I forfeit? Please?"

Anko shot her a smug look and said, "Nope."

A moment later, everyone fund Sakura sitting in a corner, sulking as a depressed aura surrounded her – _and were those mushrooms growing around her?_ \- while Naruto and Sasuke patted her arm soothingly, whispering, "there, there."

_'I am doomed.'_

Anko cackled as she watched everyone giving Team Seven incredulous looks. "I take it you know about Training Ground Forty Four?"

"Unfortunately." The three of them mumbled in unison.

Anko squinted her eyes at them – _why do they seem so familiar?_ \- and then she snapped her fingers when she remembered why they seem so familiar t her, "Ah, you're the brats who  _always_  get saddled with the unluckies!" If it was possible, the depressing aura surrounding them got even darker.

Anko chuckled and said, "Tough Luck kids."

She then clapped her hands to grab attention of every genin present and hollered, "Alright Maggots! Listen up!" She then pointed at the creepy forest behind her and said, "This creepy looking place is where the Second Phase of the Chunin Exams will be held. This is training ground Forty Four, otherwise known as-" her grey eyes to a mad glint as she licked her lower lip for the intimidation factor,  _"the Forest of Death."_

Team Seven shivered in unison. Yeah, no need to make them terrified of this place, they already know how  _scary_  this place really is.

Of course, some idiots – _like Kiba_  (damn dog boy) puffed his chest like an overgrown mutt and exclaimed haughtily, "And is that supposed to scare us away?" he snorted and pointed at Team Seven and said, "We're not like these wimps. We can handle a little horror."

Sasuke and Naruto bristled at the insult – _no one gets to call them wimps! The bastard_ \- but stopped when Sakura placed a hand each of their shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, making them calm down a bit.

Sakura then smiled sweetly at Kiba as she walked nearer to him, and the boy almost fell for her act, coz a second later found him whimpering as Sakura  _punched_  the ground before him, causing him to land in a  _huge ass_  crater.

(Anko whistled in the background. "Now that's an impressive punch.")

"Don't flatter yourself, Dog-breath." Sakura sneered as her green eyes flashed coldly at him, "That place," she pointed at the Forest of Death, "isn't a playground, you know." Her eyes stared forlornly at the creepy forest as she said, "That place is  _hell_ on earth, if you know what I mean." She then glanced back at him and sneered, "People like you get killed in fifteen minutes max. if they're not careful in places like that."

A tense silence stretched over them, as many genin shifted uncomfortably, staring nervously at the forest as well as her. A moment later, Hinata shuffled nervously as she rushed to her teammates aid.

"S-Sakura!" Hinata exclaimed as she walked nearer to the giant crater, "Kiba d-didn't mean to i-insult you, r-right Kiba?" Hinata's lavender eyes implored Kiba as he just nodded dumbly.

And just like that, Sakura's mood turned a 180 degree. "Oh hey Hinata!" Sakura chirped happily as she slung her hand over her bestie's shoulder. "Long time no see! How have you been?"

Hinata smiled warmly, "I-I have b-b-been good, T-thank you for a-asking."

"Good, good." Sakura chuckled, and then patted her arm, "I'm sure you've grown a lot stronger in the time we were apart."

Hinata nodded. "Y-Yeah."

Sakura's grin widened – _as if that was even possible_ \- and she said, "let's meet up for a spar after all this Exams shit is over, 'kay?"

Hinata smiled and bobbed her head enthusiastically, "Y-Yeah, let's."

Sakura waved her hand in goodbye as she walked over to her fellow teammates, but not before calling out to her friend, "Be careful in the FOD, kay?" she then addded on as an afterthought, "And keep that mutt on leash, will you?"

Kiba bristled angrily, "Why you-!"

SMACK!

Hinata's gentle fist finger found itself hitting Kiba's chakra point at the centre of his tummy, making him wheeze as breath was literally knocked out of him by the force of her hit.

"Now, now," Hinata said admonishingly as her lavender eyes glinted with a bit sadism – _something that had rubbed off on her after spending time with kickass female kunoichi's like Sakura, Granny Sayuri, and Kurenai-Sensei_ \- as Hinata's alter-ego surfaced a bit. "Don't be so  _impolite_  Kiba. What did Kurenai-Sensei told you about bad-mouthing respecting kunoichis?"

Kiba mumbled, breathless and equally terrified of Hinata's alter-ego, "Not to."

Hinata patted his head as if he were a dog – _which…is debatable_ \- and said, "good boy."

"Holy shit." Sasuke said flatly as his onyx eyes burned with … _something_  as he stared at the Hyuga heiress – _whom he always thought of as naïve and gentle and definitely not Ninja material_ \- who just took down her own teammate in a  _single_  blow, and was equally  _scary_  as Sakura on a bad day. "…..I want to fight her." Sasuke said decisively with a nod.

Naruto squinted his eyes at Hinata's kick-ass reaction to Kiba insulting her friend – _well, almost_ \- and said, "Well, that's new." He mused, and then shrugged, "but not unexpected, dattebayo. After all those years of training together with crazy women of Haruno family, I would be more surprised if she had  _not_  caught any of their craziness."

Naruto realised a minute too late why speaking his mind out loud was not advisable as a  _huge_  amount of killing intent was directed at him, and he stiffened. He  _slowly_  and dramatically turned around to face Sakura, only to find her green eyes narrowed into slits and stared at him.

_"What. Did. You. say?"_  Sakura hissed angrily as she grabbed him by the collar of his jumpsuit, and Naruto yelped.

_'I'm going to die.'_  Naruto's mind chanted in fear as he whimpered  _'I'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodiediediediedIEDIEDIE-!'_

"Sakura," Sasuke said, unimpressed. "Don't kill him yet, we need him to pass the exams, remember?"

Sakura glared at the Uchiha, but did release Naruto a moment later, not before shooting him a dark look though.

He never thought he would say this, but well, desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, he wasn't that much of an asshole to  _not_  thank his savior for saving him from an impending death. " _Bless you,_ Sasuke." He said euphorically as he sighed in relief.

"Don't thank me yet." Sasuke said frigidly as he glared at the Uzumaki. "I still haven't forgotten how I got a  _zero_  because of you." he threatened the blonde, "When all of this is over, I will  _personally_  kill you."

Naruto whimpered. ' _What did I do to deserve this?'_  he thought as he cried huge anime tears.

* * *

**Jonin Lounge**

Many Jonin sensei – _who had nothing better do since the minions they are so used to torturing are taking part in the Chunin Exams_ \- sat huddled before a large TV screen as it showed them everything that is happening at the location of the second stage of the Chunin Exams – _thanks to the cameras installed around the bordering fences of the Forest of Death_ \- and watched the spectacle that is Team seven's usual shenanigans.

Kakashi wiped faux tears from his eyes and blew his nose. Just yesterday these three were itty-bitty genin with only passable teamwork, and now they were so close that they casually threatened each other to death – _and possible maiming_. "Ah, young friendship. Such a beautiful thing, isn't it?" Kakashi asked as he threw the snot-stained tissue into the dustbin –which was about twenty feet away from him and happened to be  _behind_  him- and landed directly into the dustbin.

Krenai, Asuma –and even  _Gai_ \- scooted away from their fellow crazy Jonin as the Hatake almost burst into – _faux_ \- tears as he watched Sasuke threaten Naruto and the blonde Uzumaki cried pathetically at his predicament.

"They grow up so quickly." Kakashi sniffed as he took another tissue and blew his nose.

"Fucking idiots." Asuma mumbled as he lit his cigar – _because no. Just no. this was lies madness._ \- he took a huge puff of his cigar and exhaled the smoke and added on, "the lot of them."

* * *

**_Rule no. 1-_ ** _Each team will get either a Heaven scroll or an Earth scroll._

**_Rule no. 2-_ ** _The entire team must acquire both the scrolls to the Tower in the center of the Forest of Death._

**_Rule no. 3-_ ** _The Time Limit is five days -120 hours to be exact._

**_Rule no. 4-_ ** _If all three members of the team can't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit, they fail._

**_Rule no. 5-_ ** _If a team loses a member or if a member becomes incapacitated and cannot continue, the entire team fails._

**_Rule no. 6-_ ** _None of the genin are allowed to look at the contents of the scroll before they reach the tower._

There are forty four entrance gates to the training ground 44, that are equally distance from the Centre tower. Each team was assigned an entrance gate. As every team stood before their assigned gates, the loudspeakers crackled to life as soon as the gates opened and Anko's voice barked out the orders-

"Alright maggots! The second Phase of the Chunin Exams has just begun!"

* * *

**Location** _**-**  the Forest of Death_

**Time** _\- 119 and a half hour before the end of Second Phase_

Kiba grinned as he poked an unconscious genin with his boot, his screams had been music to his ears. He eyed the three downed genin who had been following them around ever since they entered the Forest, and stupidly walked right into their trap.

"Well, that was easy." Kiba mused as he glanced at the big leeches that stuck to three incapacitated genin's bodies, sucking their blood dry.

Akamaru barked in agreement.

Shino pushed up his sunglasses and said, "We are lucky this is a survival test. Why? Because our team specializes in tracking."

Hinata rummaged through the third genin's weapon's pouch and found the scroll. "H-Here." Hinata mumbled as she handed the Heaven scroll to Shino, who placed it in his pocket.

"Lucky!~" Kiba whooped. "We had needed that Heaven scroll, considering we got Earth scroll with us!"

"Let's make haste and run for the tower." Shino said, "Why? Because as the time passes on, the other teams will get more desperate, and hence more vicious to get the scrolls."

He paused for a moment and then a smirked little, "Of course, it would also be nice if we manage to break the record for the lowest time any team has taken to complete the test."

Kiba snickered, "Kurenai-Sensei will be so proud!"

"Woof!" Akamaru wagged his tail excitedly.

Hinata's lips twitched upwards as she smiled, "Y-Yeah."

* * *

Ino leaned against a tree and tilted her head as the screams rang around the forest as soon as the test started. "So," she asked casually, un-bothered by the screams. "What's the plan Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru, who was sitting on the ground with his thinking pose for about five minutes by now, opened his eyes and sighed, "Well, most of the opponents are stronger than us. We won't stand a chance against them."

Choji opened another bag of chips and started eating them. "So, who do we target?"

Shikamaru smirked "We know of a team who has an idiot among them –even if the other two are smart and possibly strong and powerful- the idiot will only drag them down."

Ino and Choji stared at him.

Choji said, "You don't mean….?"

Shikamaru gave him a lazy smirk. "Our target is Team Seven."

"Good." Ino purred, "It has been a long time since I pummeled that billboard brow into the ground."

* * *

"Fuu!" Daichi – _brown hair, brown eyes, slightly tanned skin_ \- totally average looking genin with average looking Ninja skills, sighed exasperatedly as he called out to his teammate. "Slow down will you? We have plenty of time to complete the exam!"

They have already gotten the scroll, and now were halfway to the tower –even though it has only been half an hour since the exam started.

Fuu made a face as she jumped over the trees with practiced ease and exclaimed, "Don't wanna! I just want this stupid test to be over with so I can make a lot of friends!"

Shinichi, their other teammate with dark purple hair and equally purple eyes, snarled at her, "What does that have to do with rushing to the tower first thing the exams started?"

Fuu pouted and glanced back at him as if he was an idiot and whined, "Because then I'll be the first one there, and then I will have more time to make friends as more people come to the tower!"

Daichi and Shinichi exchanged a look and sighed as they mumbled in unison.

"She's hopeless."

* * *

Karin tried to hide her trembling as her two teammates glared at her.

"Look here you pathetic weakling," the grass genin – _Yuuta, her mind supplied_ \- sneered at her, "Don't you dare drag us down."

The other one, -Ken- gave her a chilling stare. "You know the consequences of failure, right?"

Karin not-so-subtly pulled on the sleeves of her shirt, trying to hide the bite marks on her arms. She bit her lip to suppress her whimper –and failed miserably.

"I-" Karin mumbled, "I won't be a burden to you, I promise!" She said earnestly, and flinched when the two of them glared at her.

"Make sure you don't." Ken said coldly.

* * *

Gaara twisted his palm as sand poured out of his gourd and encased the three genins who had the misfortune of stumbling onto the sand siblings' path, muffling their screams in the sand cocoon.

Kankuro chuckled nervously as he said placating, "Hey Gaara, why don't we just get the scroll and leave these bunch of weaklings alone?" It hasn't even been an hour yet and Gaara is already bloodthirsty. Kankuro didn't think he could digest seeing blood and gore and innards of these weaklings just after an hour or two when he had lunch.

Gaara tilted his head and mumbled, "Mother wants blood."

"But Gaara-" Kankuro inhaled sharply and stepped back when Gaara shot him a frigid glare. Yeah, retching his lunch out sounded better than getting killed by his own baby brother.

Temari shook her hair and said in a soothing tone, knowing she was the only one Gaara actually listened to – _and that too happens in rare cases. Because_ Ha! _Gaara listening to anyone and actually_ do _as he is told?! Fat chance in hell!-_  "Do what you want Gaara. Just don't leave a mess."

Gaara's teal eyes took a cold tint to them as he stared at his prey, and grinned with blood-lust that would make even Madara cower, as he clenched his palm into a fist and  _purred_  -

**_ "Sand Coffin!" _ **

* * *

Sasuke kicked Naruto's shin, "What the hell dobe!" he snarled at him. "What kind of idiot gets kidnapped when going to a  _bathroom break?"_

Naruto yelped as he grabbed his left shin which Sasuke had just kicked, and hopped around in pain. "That hurts you bastard!" Naruto snarled with equal ferociousness as he tried to hit Sasuke back. Keyword-  _tried_ , since Sakura caught the collar of his jumpsuit in the last second and pulled him towards her.

"Seriously, Naruto." She sighed in exasperation. "We left you alone for two minutes and you got kidnapped. Do we  _really_  need to babysit you in the midst of a dangerous – _and most likely life threatening-_  survival test?"

Naruto pouted, "Ugh fine, I'm sorry. I won't get kidnapped again, 'kay?"

Sasuke and Sakura shared a look and sighed.

"That's the best we can get from him, right?" Sakura mumbled.

"Yup." Sasuke said.

Of course, the three of them ignored the three Ame genin knocked out on the ground, twitching and groaning in pain as their bodies were pained with bruises, third degree burns and bleeding wounds

**'Well, one good thing did come out of this endeavor.'**

_'And what would that be, Inner?'_

**'At least you got the scroll you wanted.'**

Sakura fingered the earth scroll she had rummaged from one of the fallen Ame genin and smiled.

_'Well, you got that right.'_

"But still," Sasuke said, "We need a password. If something like this happens again, we need to make sure if the other one is real or an imposter in disguise."

Naruto and Sakura turned at him thoughtfully.

"Well," Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head. "I hate to admit it, but Sasuke-teme is right, dattebayo. We do need a password." He then chuckled sheepishly and mumbled, "Please make it a simple one though. I'm sure I'll forget it if you keep a password that is long and complicated."

His other two teammates deadpanned at his statement.

"Idiot." Sakura muttered fondly.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sasuke said wryly.

"Well," Sakura said finally after giving it some thought. "What about-"

**'Enemy at 10'o clock. They've been spying on us for a while now.'**

Sakura stiffened. They're being watched? For how long? And how come she can't sense anything? And how come Obito sensed them when she can't even feel their chakra?

Obito huffed,  **'Sakura, there's more to Sensory skills than just chakra sensing, okay? There's the body heat sensing, sensing through smell, nature energy sensing and much, much more.'**

_'Do I really look like I want an educational lecture in the midst of a survival test?'_  She thought back flatly.

**'Spoil-sport.'**  She was sure the idiot was sticking his tongue out at her. How mature. NOT!

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, and she got out of her trance and blinked at her teammates as they sent her worried looks.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked in concern.

Sakura shook her head and then whispered in a low tone, "We're being watched."

The two of them stiffened.

A tense silence settled in the clearing, and a moment later, a low, but creepy laughter rang around them, making them unable to pinpoint the intruder's location.

"Kufufufufufufufufu~!" A figure appeared from the ground in the form of a glob of mud, and soon enough, the glob of mud solidified into a person wearing a Hidden Grass village's headband- a woman with long hair, dark eyes, and a creepy expression on her face. The woman licked her lips and said "I didn't know there was a sensor among us. Especially one as skilled as you."

The three of them stiffened.

"What do you want?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at their foe.

"What do you think?" the woman blinked 'innocently'. "I want your scroll of course."

**'There's something wrong with this one.** ' Obito shivered in the mindscape, not that Sakura could actually see him.  **'Their chakra is not only suppressed, but is forming multiple layers on their skin, making it harder for me to sense how powerful they actually are. But one thing is for certain, you do _not_  want to mess with someone who can not only suppress their chakra to this extent, but also hide their chakra signature so effectively that it makes impossible to recognize them. They're no mere genin.'**

Sakura tensed. "Guys," she said to her teammates. "We need to retreat. This woman is dangerous."

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of their eyes, and noticed how she was tensed like a coiled spring. Surely this woman can't be this dangerous to get this reaction from Sakura – _their Sakura who didn't erun away from the confrontation with even the Demon of the Mist_ \- who was now acting wary of a mere woman?

When Sakura noticed how Sasuke and Naruto were exchanging dubious looks at her comment, she hissed sharply, "Hey, we've got both the scrolls, haven't we? Let's just make a break for the tower. We don't need any needless fights." She grabbed their hands each and tugged, "Come on."

"Kufufufufu!~ If you think I'll let you go, then you've another thing coming!" The woman's eyes widened as she grinned crazily, "I don't like  _naughty_  children, you know."

And then she slammed her palm on the ground, and a sealing array displayed underneath her palm. Sakura paled as she recognized the pattern.

**_ "Summoning Jutsu!" _ **

* * *

Snakes. Giant fucking  _snakes._  Of course it has to be giant snakes –of all fucking things in this world. The Universe hated them.  _Seriously._

Naruto jumped, dodging another one of the snake's attempt to make him his dinner, and sighed in exasperation. He should've listened to Sakura and made a run for it. At least they wouldn't have to deal with bloodthirsty reptiles hell bent on making him his supper.

Oh well, missed opportunities. He's sure there will come more times in future when Sakura will tell them do something, and next time, he won't ever question her decisions. Coz Sakura is  _always_  right.  _Really._

Well, he'll have to apologize once he rendezvouses with teme and Sakura. Another thing he should hate the stupid reptiles for- it made the three of them scatter into different directions.  _Fucking reptiles._

Well, he'll just apologize after he deals with this menace of a reptile – _and why is this thing coiling it's tail around hi- Oh, so it thinks that it can trap Naruto with it's tail and then eat him like he is orange flavored ice-cream? Fucking snake doesn't even know when to quit._

Naruto glared at the snake as it coiled it's tail around him, binding him tightly, as it hovered over him, staring at him with hungry golden eyes, jaw opened as it's fangs gleamed, and venomous saliva dripped from it's fangs.

"I'm going to kick your ass." Naruto declared as he let out a loose wave of wind chakra –not focused enough to cause damage, but equally sharp to cause major scratched on the giant snake's skin- as he smirked.

The snake shrieked and uncoiled it's tail from Naruto as it's skin got shredded with the highly potent wind chakra the Uzumaki emitted a moment ago. The snake hissed in fury and attacked Naruto, who narrowed his blue eyes at the snake and dodged the attack with practiced ease. Compared to Sakura and Sasuke's brutality when they sparred, this puny little snake was nothing.

"Normally, I'd love to play with you, scale-head." Naruto said as he gathered wind chakra in his left arm, and refined it until it was as sharp as a blade and clenched his fist, "but I have teammates to find and a creepy woman to beat up, so I gotta cut our game short." He then grinned as he reinforced his legs with chakra and jumped, and landed on the snake's head and then  _punched_ -

**_ "Wind Style! Storm Punch!" _ **

SMASH!

A moment later, Naruto found himself staring at the carcass of the snake, whose head has now become a pulp of gore and blood, and was now lying dead for all the world to see.

Naruto sighed. "Well, that was quick." He mused as he walked away, minding to not step into the blood and gore splattered around the clearing. After all, blood and gore are a bitch to wash out.

Now, to find Sasuke-teme and Sakura and get the hell out of this hell hole.

* * *

Defeating the snake was easy. Sakura just slapped an explosive seal on the snake's crawling body, and it went BOOM!

The problem was what to do now.

**'It's simple.'** Obito said,  **'Get Naruto and Sasuke and head for the tower before the snake summoner decides to give you chase.'**

_'It's too late for that.'_  Sakura mused as she made her way towards the direction where she could sense Sasuke and the creepy woman. By the way their chakra was fluctuating, it's easy to conclude that they're fighting each other right now. She cursed the fact that she had been flung much, much farther away from her teammates.

_Stupid snake._

**'Crap.'**  Obito sighed,  **'Really, of all the people you could run into, why does it have to be him?'**

Sakura paused.  _Him?_  But the last she remembered their attacker was a  _woman_ , and not  _man_.

"You know something." Sakura concluded as she narrowed her eyes and kept on jumping from trees to trees, making haste to reach Sasuke.

**'Use your head, Sakura.'**  Obito hissed.  **'You've read that Bingo book you swiped from Bakakashi the other day, haven't you? There's only one person in this whole world known widely enough for having Snake summons.'**

Sakura faltered and almost got smacked in the face by a lone branch. Oh fuck.  _Snake summons._  Why didn't she think of it sooner?

It must be Orochimaru –the Snake Sanin, the missing nin who had been driven out of Konoha for doing inhuman experiments.

_But why would he be here and infiltrate the Chunin Exams?_

And suddenly it hit her. Orochimaru had first scattered the three of them, and thrn has been focused entirely on Sasuke for some reason. Why would Orochimaru –who is known for doing inhuman experiments- go after Sasuke? What does Sasuke have that make him so precious.

There's only one thing that the Uchiha has that could interest any deranged scientist.

_The Sharingan._

* * *

Sasuke panted as he ignored the various bruises and wounds marring his body. His chakra was depleting quicker than he had anticipated, and  _nothing_ worked on the stupid creepy woman hell bent on toying with him.

_Damndamndamndamndamn-!_

And then there was the Killing Intent that the woman was unleashing as she fought – _no, toyed_ \- with Sasuke, wearing a bloodthirsty grin on her face.

Her smirk had only widened when she saw the two and three tomoes of the sharingan spinning in his eyes respectively.

_**"Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"** _

The woman cleverly maneuvered through the small fireballs aimed at different angles, and rushed at him with a bloodthirsty grin. He ducked as a kunai went sailing past where his head had been a moment ago. He threw some kunai and shuriken with practiced ease, but she still managed to dodge them with just a tilt of her head and a side step. This woman is way too skilled to be a mere genin.

Sakura was right. This woman is  _dangerous._

The woman's tongue lolled out of her mouth – _he didn't know anyone could stick out that much length of the tongue out of their mouth_ \- and she said, "This is so entertaining." She said as her eyes danced with amusement and blood-thirst. "I didn't know catching a prey could be this  _fun._  Kufufufufufu!~"

_Dangerous._  That is what Sasuke's mind screamed as he unconsciously took a step back. He stood no chance against this woman. She is just playing around with him. She hasn't even gotten serious in this fight.

If she gets serious, he will be dead in ten seconds straight.  _Literally._

There's no way he can win this fight. He needed to retreat and regroup back with his teammates, and get to the tower as soon as possible. Maybe he'll find some Jonin there who'll actually explain to him why the fuck is a clearly skilled Jonin – _or maybe someone of a higher rank_ \- hell bent on killing him. Or maybe sic Kakashi onto this crazy woman. After all, the man would probably hunt her down if he just mentions how this woman 'hurt' Sakura. That man is too much possessive of the pink haired girl for some reason.

"Are you trying to run away?" the woman said as she pouted, that only added to the creepiness factor. "How disappointing! And I thought we could play some more, Sasuke~"

A shiver ran down his spine. Yeah, he did not want to  _play_  with her, thank you very much.

The woman smirked, "if you think I'm going to let you go so easily, you're wrong!" saying this, her tongue stretched, and he could clearly see a sharp glint of a sword tucked nicely by the tongue –and  _oh shit it's coming for him!_

Sasuke took a shuddering breath and readied himself to body flickered out of the way, but an orange blur smacked the sword away with a wind chakra enforced kunai before the sword could harm him. Sasuke stared dumbfounded at his blonde teammate who was glaring at the woman. The said woman stared at the Uzumaki with intrigue –because after all, there are not many people who could deflect  _Kusanagi_  that easily.

"If you even _touch_  Sasuke, I will kill you!" The blonde hissed as he crouched down protectively in front of his teammate. He  _of course_  had noticed the various bruises and wounds on his friend's body, and damn was he  _pissed._   _No one gets to hurt his teammate and get away with it!_

"Naruto!" Sasuke gasped as he stared at is teammate. That blonde sure has a thing for grand entrances.

Naruto glanced back at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes and grinned. He could clearly see how shaken Sasuke was. The way his eyes widened at seeing Naruto, the way his body kept twitching as if he wanted to run far, far away and  _never_  come back, the way his eyes wandered around hysterically….. the woman clearly terrified him enough to make him lose his cool. Naruto might not be smart like Sasuke, and sharp like Sakura, but he was observant. He decided to settle his teammate down first before he snaps – _or worse, breaks down._

"Hey Sasuke-teme, about that password thingy, I decided on one." He then stared back at the woman and narrowed his eyes. "Those who break rules are scum, " Sasuke jolted as soon as he heard those familiar words, "But those who abandon their friends are  _worse than scum."_

A lone tear dripped down Sasuke's eyes. How could he forget? He  _isn't_  alone. He has got two menaces who would follow him to hell and back if need be.

"My, my, such camaraderie between teammates. I'm impressed~" The woman purred. "But do you think you two are enough to take me down?"

Naruto pulled out a kunai and twirled it between his fingers. "Why don't you try and find out then?" he retorted back to her.

* * *

If the woman was toying around before, she clearly got serious now. Because one moment, she just stood there, chuckling as if they just told her a joke, and the next moment, she  _moved._

Her speed startled both boys, and their inattentiveness caused Naruto a kick to the chest –that sent him flying-and Sasuke getting choked by the woman as she caught his throat in a tight grip. Naruto quickly turned his body to minimize the damage, and soon flash stepped towards the woman and threw a punch, which she  _easily_  dodged.

She then once again spat out that sword, but this time, it sliced through Naruto's chest, just near to his heart, making the blonde's eyes widen and cough up blood.

"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed in desperation as the blonde got thrown away roughly by the woman.

_NononononononononONONONO-!_

Sasuke screamed, his throat went dry and  _ached_ , but he kept screaming. He has had  _enough._  Why does everyone have to sacrifice themselves for his sake?  _Why?_  Why did everyone get hurt because of him, and he was the one who was left behind to pick up the pieces?

First there was Shisui, then his entire clan… gone. Just  _gone_. Itachi just betrayed him, mind fucked him with that stupid Tsukuyomi, leaving him a broken mess.

And then when he finally began accepting more people and forming bonds with them, they were being ripped out of his hands. First there was Sakura who almost died protecting him when Haku aimed to kill him, and now Naruto-

No. He can't do this, can't lose another  _teammatecompanionfriendfamily-_

He didn't want to be useless. He didn't wanted to be protected.  _No._  Not anymore. He wanted to protect them too. He wanted to protect those who are precious to him –those who promised to never abandon him, come hell or high water.

_"Those who break rules are scum,"_  Sakura and Naruto's voice mingled and rang out in his mind,  _"But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."_

No, Sasuke would never abandon these people –these honest to god precious people who are willing to die for the sake of a  _brokendepressedugly_ mess like him. He would cherish them forever; he would  _never_  take them for granted ever again. And he would protect them and would do  _anything_  to keep them safe.

Something inside him snapped at his resolve, and suddenly,  _both_  his eyes had the pinwheel pattern of Mangekyo spinning like some divine intervention.

The sharingan was not only the manifestation of a trauma that scarred a person deeply, but it was also the manifestation of how strong a bond is. The Magekyo that is awakened when that deep bond is brought to test, giving the user abilities that matches their intent.

If the user wants to destroy  _everything_ in his vicinity for the pain that caused him to lose his loved ones, Amaterasu is awakened. The hellfire that can burn through anything eats everything that the user wishes to be  _destroyed._

But the intent to  _protect_ , to keep their loves ones  _safe_ , awakens the other ability. The ability that grants the user the wish to protect not only himself, but anyone else he deems precious to him. The ability known as-

**_ "SUSANOO!" _ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And…. That's a wrap. This is the best chapter I've written so far, I'm so pleased it came out this way. I love leaving people on cliffhangers, it's a shame I really don't do cliffhangers much. I hope you all liked it.
> 
> So... Comments? Anyone?


	19. Your Opponent is Me!

 

_painpainpainpainpainpainpai **npainpaINPAINPAI** -_

 

Sasuke’s eyes _hurt_ as blood poured out of them drip by drip, and his chakra reserves _burned_ to keep up with the intense power of the Mangekyo Sharingan. If Sasuke had been any ordinary Uchiha who had accidentally awoken his sharingan, he might have collapsed by now. But Sasuke wasn’t anything if not stubborn. He promised himself he won’t let any more harm come to his blonde teammate, then he _will_ see this stupid thing till the end. _Period._

 

**_ “Wind Style! Gale Palm!” _ **

 

The attack, once again, just bounced off Sasuke’s Susanoo as if it were a mere fly, and not a B ranked Jutsu that could cause great devastation if used properly.

 

Nothing worked against the chakra skeleton of Susanoo that hovered over Sasuke as his left eye bled tears of blood. No jutsu could pierce through the Susanoo, even the legendary sword of _Kusanagi_ couldn’t even make a dent against it.

 

Normally, Sasuke would feel smug about the fact that he managed to halt an enemy shinobi in their tracks – _especially a highly skilled one at that_ \- but all he felt was frustration and a vague sense of dread. Why? Because, well, that freak of a woman did _not_ look a bit perturbed about the fact that she was being forced back. She just looked even more _amused_ and _bloodthirsty_ by the second. Goddammit why the hell is she smiling even when he smashed through her Earth wall with Susanoo’s mighty fists?! Why does she look so freaking _smug?!_ What the hell is wrong with this woman?!

 

“Kufufufufufufu~!” The woman giggled as she skidded back a few steps and licked her lower lip and let out an unhinged grin that stemmed Sasuke’s suspicion that she is clearly insane and way too powerful (worst combination, really). “Fascinating!” the woman _purred._ “Truly _remarkable!_ You truly are quite special little Uchiha, aren’t you?”

 

Sasuke panted, clearly aware of how quickly his chakra reserves were burning as he kept up his Susanoo…… _But he had no choice!_ If he doesn’t rely on his Mangekyo’s abilities, he knew he and Naruto would die a _painful_ die. The woman looked like the type of person who would torture someone before she kills them –after she gets whatever the hell she wants from them.

 

Wait…… did she just imply-? No, no, it can’t be…….. The only reason this woman has been toying with them relentlessly is because she wants something to do with _him_?! They’ve have had to deal with this woman because this woman is obsessed with the _Uchiha?!_

 

A bone chilling coldness settled over him. Does this mean that everything that has happened till now is _his_ fault? If, if he hadn’t been an Uchiha……. If he hadn’t been with Naruto and Sakura, then this woman wouldn’t have come here and hadn’t separated them, and Naruto wouldn’t have been hurt. This is all because of him only.

 

“You want my eyes.” Sasuke answered numbly as he pulled out a kunai from his pocket.

 

The woman chuckled, “You’re smart. But that is to be expected, considering you’re Itachi’s brother.”

 

Sasuke bristled at her comment, hate and fury burning in his red eyes at the mere mention of _that man’s_ name. He _hated_ him. He hated him from the bottom of his heart.

 

Itachi Uchiha- his beloved brother. The one whom Sasuke had adored from the bottom of his heart.

 

He massacred the entire Uchiha clan in one night, including their parents. He only left Sasuke, but not after almost torturing him to insanity.

 

“That man has nothing to do with me!” Sasuke hissed furiously, his blood boiling at the mere mention of that man. How dare this woman compare him to that _viledisgustinghateful_ brother!

 

“Tsk, tsk! That’s so impolite of you. You shouldn’t say such things about your own brother.” the woman looked like she enjoyed infuriating him.

 

Sasuke’s anger exploded, “That man is nothing to me!” This woman-! How dare she implicate him to be like that _traitor!_ He is nothing like that _traitor!_ **_“Amaterasu!”_**

 

Black flames erupted around them, greedily destroying everything in it’s path. The pain in Sasuke’s eyes turned even worse, and he was _this_ close to gouge his own eyes out to relieve the pain. But how could he harm himself so easily, especially when he has yet to deal with the enemy?

 

He panted and stared up to look at that woman. Surely, she must be staring at him horrified, lamenting to have forced him to play his cards. She must be quite afraid of his prowess after seeing how easily he can destroy everything. Right?

 

_Wrong._

 

The moment Sasuke glanced up at the woman, he saw no trace of any anxiety or fear on her face. The only thing he saw in those creepy eyes was delight. The woman looked like a child– _a really creepy child with a crazy glint in their eyes-_ who got his favorite candy.

 

The woman’s lips upturned in a creepy and unhinged grin, sending a shiver of terror down his spine. The black flames of Amaterasu licked around her, greedily devouring and destroying anything in it’s path, but somehow, the woman always nimbly dodged the flames. It was as if she was dancing amidst the hellfire as if it were nothing, and not dodging the hellish flames with practiced ease.

 

Someone who can easily avoid his Amaterasu cannot be just a mere shinobi.

 

_A monster._ That is what she truly is.

 

Unconsciously, Sasuke took a step back. His hand that held the kunai tightly, trembled. Due to his lapse in concentration, the Susanoo surrounding him disappeared. Fear gripped his heart tightly, and bile rose to his throat but he forced it down. For some reason, his limbs refused to move. Why won’t they move? _Why?_

 

Is there truly no hope for him to get out of this predicament alive? Was he going to die today? Would he be the reason Naruto will lose his life too?

 

_‘No!’_ Sasuke thought fiercely. _‘I don’t want that!’_

 

He struggled to breath properly as for some reason, he suddenly felt a huge amount of pressure on his body.

 

THUD!

 

His body smacked into the ground, unable to get up. It was as if a thousand elephants were stampeding on him.

 

Such potent killing intent! Compared to it, even Zabuza’s KI looked like a child’s play. The blood-lust and the desire to kill was so thick that it choked him. All his nightmares and fears that he has locked away in some corner of his heart rushed through his mind. _The night of the massacre……….. the torture he endured in Itachi’s Tsukuyomi……… His longing for his family…….. seeing his only friends being hurt because of him…….._

 

He bit his lip harshly, and a moment later the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. The momentary pain snapped him out of his trance. It might not have been anything compared to the bone crushing pressure that was crushing him and rendered him motionless, but it was enough to get out of his trance. Although from the pain erupting from his lower lip, it seems like he might’ve cut through his lip.

 

Seeing Sasuke’s eyes gaining coherence, the woman double the KI and watched gleefully as Sasuke’s eyes fell in a daze. This little Uchiha is truly something. Not many people can survive such potent Ki and still remain coherent.

 

This is truly the vessel she had been searching all these years!

 

_painpainpainpainpainpainpai **npainpaINPAINPAI** -_

 

If this keeps going on for a minute longer, he might not be able to hold on to his conscious.

 

“Yes! This is it!” the woman giggled creepily, sending a shiver of terror run down his spine. “Remarkable! Truly remarkable! You truly are worthy of being my next vessel.” Saying this, she grinned, her fangs glinting dangerously in the evening sunlight. A moment later, her neck extended from her body, and her head shot forward towards the motionless Uchiha.

 

Black spots danced around Sasuke’s vision. He could no longer hold himself to stay conscious.

 

Is this it?

 

Is this the end?

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

**_“SHANNARO!”_ **

 

BANG!

 

The earth shook as a mighty tremor rocked the ground. The ground beneath the woman’s feet trembled as if there was an earthquake, groaned, and then shattered as if it were some pieces of glass. The whole landscape changed in a moment. The trees were uprooted and thrown away from the epicenter. The cracked ground, which was now nothing more than a bunch of rocks, laid haphazardly around the scenery. It was as if a deity has rampaged over the landscape that was once a beautiful scenery.

 

Sasuke shot his eyes open as the Killing Intent upon his body lifted the moment the woman was thrown away by the force of the cracking landscape. He blinked his eyes and shook his head to clear away his dizziness. He coughed up blood and winced as every part of his body groaned in protest.

 

He somehow sat up, ignoring his limbs screaming in pain as he glanced at the side to look at his savior. Her short pink bangs swayed in the wind, her body scraped with some dirt and scratches. Other than that, she was fine. All in all, she looked like she normally did, but there was one big difference in her normal appearance which shook Sasuke to the core.

 

There was a Mangekyo sharingan spinning in her right eye.

 

* * *

 

_How dare he-!_

 

Sakura’s blood was boiling with anger as she glared hatefully at the Snake Sannin who had the gall to impersonate as a Kusagakure genin and harm Sasuke.

 

Fucking bastard, how dare he hurt Sasuke and Naruto!

 

She had been gone for half an hour. _Half. a. freaking. Hour._ And in that time, this bastard managed to not only pierce Naruto with a sword that was clearly poisoned – _the slash on Naruto’s chest was quite clear for all to see, only a fool would not recognize the wound for what it is_ \- but he also injured Sasuke to such an extent that he is covered from head to toe with life threatening wounds! And she hasn’t even counted on the damage that he must’ve had inflicted on himself for keeping his mangekyo activating for so long!

 

She knew she did not have capability to go head to head with a Sanin – _at least not yet_ \- but she’ll be damned if she let him go scot free after harming her friends. Anyone who harms her friends will pay the price _tenfold!_

 

* * *

 

 

The woman, who had been thrown away by the sudden surprise attack, wiped the blood off her lips as she stared curiously at the newly arrived Sakura. Honestly, she hasn’t thought much of the little Uchiha’s teammates. One was Minato’s son as well as the Jinchuriki of the nine tailed fox, the other a pink haired girl from a civilian family. After scattering them into three different directions, she had only thought of testing the Uchiha’s prowess. Who knew the other two would be talented enough- so much that the Uzumaki had not only managed to defeat her summoned snake, but he also launched a surprise attack. And this pink haired brat had not only shattered the ground into tiny rock pieces – _a feat she had only seen Tsunade do_ \- but she also has a sharingan.

 

How intriguing.

 

She chuckled, “My, my~ I didn’t know there was another little Uchiha running around the Leaf village. If I had known, I wouldn’t be focusing all my attention on him.” the woman chuckled as licked her bleeding lower lip, the blood only made her bloodlust more potent. “You must be feeling so left out, my dear~!”

 

Sakura’s lips curled up in disgust as she tilted her headband over her left eye – _ignoring the fact that she was impersonating Bakakashi’s sense of fashion for the moment_ \- as her sharingan eyes stared murderously at the Snake Sanin.

 

“Orochimau of the Sanin,” her voice was devoid of any emotions as she said, “I didn’t know you had fetishes for crossdressing. How _disappointing_.”

 

The woman chuckled, “Oh? Such a smart little brat~ You’ve already seen through my disguise…..” Since the child has already seen through his disguise, he no longer has any need to keep up with this face.

 

He placed his hand over his forehead, and in one clean movement, tore off the skin on his face.

 

_Screeeeeeeeee!_

 

The horrible sound grated on the two genin’s nerves as they watched with horrified fascination as the other person tore off the skin on their face, revealing a man’s face with golden eyes and purple eyelashes.

 

The golden eyes flashed sinisterly as it glanced at Sasuke, and then at Sakura. How fortunate! Today he has caught not only one, but two sharingan wielders. _Lucky~_

 

Now he can use one of them as his next vessel, and the other as spare. He can possess one of them, and then use the other as a broodmare.

 

Sakura’s eyes narrowed as she crouched down, “What does Konoha’s most notorious missing nin doing in the middle of Chunin Exams?”

 

Orochimaru chuckled, “Curious little thing, aren’t you?” He then tilted his head and said, “but I don’t have any obligation to answer you now, do I?”

 

Sakura’s expression contorted in fury, but she calmed down the next moment as she glanced at Sasuke –who had been staring at her, petrified-and body flickered next to him. Her eyes never left Orochimaru’s prone figure standing before her in the damaged landscape as she said, “Go get Naruto and heal him. he’s poisoned.”

 

When he didn’t move even a bit, and was still staring at her like an idiot in a daze, she hissed sharply, “Go!”

 

Sasuke snapped out of his trance as he shook his head and stumbled towards Naruto.

 

“Be careful.” He whispered to her as he walked past him, and towards their fallen teammate. For the moment, he could only fall back and heal Naruto while Sakura keeps the Sanin – _and isn’t that a shock?! He had known his opponent must be a high level shinobi, but a freaking Sanin?!Are you fucking kidding me?!_ \- busy. For now they can only retreat, and then counterattack when their teammate is out of danger.

 

Orochimaru narrowed his golden eyes, “You think I’m going to let you go so easily?” A moment ago, he was standing on the other end of the wrecked ground, the next moment he appeared before Sasuke.

 

What speed! He is even faster than any normal Jonin!

 

Orochimaru sneered as he opened his jaws, his fangs glinting in sunlight as his face was inches from sasuke’s neck.

 

Sasuke was about to turn his neck away and dodge, but he knew he would be too late even if he dodged now. He was much, much slower than the Snake Sanin. It’s like comparing a snake with a turtle.

 

Fear curled in Sasuke’s gut as the fangs inched closer to him.

**_ “KAMUI!” _ **

 

The space around Sasuke warped and distorted, and squeezed Sasuke into a portal that made him disappear from Orochimaru’s grasp, and appear in the Kamui dimension.

 

Orochimaru shrieked in shock as the Uchiha just disappeared from his sight. He had been about to mark him with the cursed seal, but the Uchiha just disappeared!

 

Orochimaru’s golden eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the pink haired menace. It was her doing! Definitely! She shot some sort of Jutsu towards the Uchiha boy and made him disappear!

 

He had heard that sharingan’s special abilities are different for different people, but he had never imagined there would be someone with the ability to distort even space!

 

This girl’s sharingan is truly precious!

 

The pink hired girl crouched in an attack stance as she glared at him with her mangekyo spinning wildly in her eyes, and said, “You have to defeat me before you can even _think_ of harming my friends.” Her hands flickered into hand-signs at an abnormally fast speed, as she said, “Orochimaru of the Sannin, your opponent is me!”

 

As the handsigns ended, she breathed out a majestic fireball that immediately set the clearing on fire.

 

**_ “Fire Style! Majestic Fireball jutsu!” _ **

 

Orochimaru grinned creepily as he eyed the flames licking around the clearing. “Looks like I won’t be bored while playing with you, little girl~” He purred sinisterly as his eyes flashed with ill intent, and then he attacked.

 

* * *

 

 

Sasuke stared at the dimension he had ended up in, shocked. What the-? Did he just jumped dimensions?

_What. The. Hell?!_

 

He eyed the stone slabs that were present in this dimension. This entire dimension was made up of stone slabs, placed one over other like dominos. He had never seen anything like this. This place is so strange.

 

But how had he ended up here?

 

The last thing he remembered before jumping dimension was almost being bitten to death – _literally_ \- by Orochimaru of the Sanin – _it’s still somewhat unbelievable that a Sanin is targeting him. What did he do to piss him off?!-_ and then……. Sakura had shouted something, right? Most probably a Jutsu name. And then the space around him distorted, and he ended up here.

 

So, either this must be a genjutsu that Sakura put up on him for god knows what, or she might’ve literally hurled him into another dimension. Then that’d mean she actually possesses the power to jump through dimensions.

 

Sasuke rubbed his temple as he felt a headache thrumming in his head. Kami, his head hurts.

 

Well, let’s first try and see if this is a genjutsu.

 

“Release!”

 

Nope. Nothing. Still the stony dimension. So, it’s not a genjutsu.

 

Then that means Sakura has somehow hurled him in some unknown dimension. _Just great._

 

Sasuke gritted histeeth. Damn it, he left Sakura and Naruto behind to face a Sanin, while he is stuck god-knows-where! No, he has to find a way to get out and help them. Naruto needs medical treatment ASAP, and Sakura-

 

Oh Kami, Sakura…….. she has a sharingan……… Then- Then that means she has uchiha blood in her veins. She is his family. _Real_ family. Itachi didn’t manage to kill everyone. There’s still one more left. He isn’t the last Uchiha anymore.

 

He isn’t _alone._

 

Tears rolled down Sasuke’s bloodstained cheeks as he suppressed a sob. He was happy. So _happy_. So why won’t these tears stop?!

 

Sakura has a _sharingan_. She is an _Uchiha_. She is _family_. He won’t let Itachi find this out and hurt her.If he found out there’s another Uchiha alive, he will hunt her down and kill her.

 

No, Sasuke won’t let that happen. He will protect her. He will protect her with all his might. He won’t let anyone harm his last blood related relative!

 

_Wait……_ Sakura is fighting Orochimaru right now to protect him. Orochimaru- the Snake Sanin. Wasn’t Orohimaru after his sharingan? If he doesn’t find Sasuke, then what if he turns to Sakura for her sharingan?!

 

_Oh kami………_

 

He needs to find a way out of here, and get her away from that crazy bastard!

 

**“Sasuke?”** A familiar voice came to his ears, though why is it hoarser than normal? **“Why are you here alone? Where’s Naruto and Ou- I mean Boss?”**

 

Sasuke blinked as he turned towards a familiar figure as she rushed towards him. She looked exactly like Sakura, but for some reason the left part of her face was blurry and distorted, and the mangekyo spun in her right eye.

 

“Sakura?” he blurted out, stunned. “What are you doing here?” _Weren’t you fighting Orochimaru just now?_

 

The girl smiled and lied easily. **“I’m a shadow clone. Ou- I mean Boss planned to grab you and Naruto and appear here so that we can rest here for the time being. She created a shadow clone to make it easier for herself to heal the both of you at the same time if your injuries are life threatening.”**

 

A shadow clone……. This is just Sakura’s shadow clone…….

 

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he glanced at her sharingan eye. Before he could ask her about it, she replied, **“Boss will explain everything once we’re out of this mess.”**

 

“Alright.” Sasuke answered as he nodded. He can wait till Sakura’s back. He wanted explanation, but now is definitely not a good time. He then pondered over their next course of actions, and asked insistently, “Can you  send me back? I need to help Naruto and Sakura- the real one. She’s fighting Orochimaru alone.”

 

What?

 

' **That damn brat!'**

 

‘Sakura’s eyes darkened as she mumbled curses under ‘her’ breath. Of course that girl just has to cause problems. He shouldn’t have listened to her. Kamui dimension might be safer than outside, but if _he_ ever gets a whiff of this, then that girl will be in danger. Of course, he can’t tell her that. The only reason he had agreed to let his conscious be isolated in a shadow clone and wait in kamui dimension so that he can keep an eye on _that person_ so that _he_ doesn’t find out about this. But now that girl landed herself into trouble, and the worst part is, he isn’t even there with her!

 

**“Alright, but first let me heal you.”** ‘She’ said as ‘her’ hands glowed green. **“We might be needed outside.”**

 

Sasuke nodded as he let the shadow clone heal him. He never noticed that the chakra signature of this shadow clone is different than Sakura’s. He never noticed that this person is not Sakura, but is someone known as Obito.

 

* * *

 

 

_Sasuke……_

_Sakura……._

_I’m so weak……. I couldn’t even stand against that woman……_

_She wants Sasuke……. No! I won’t let her have him!_

_Sasuke is my friend! And so is Sakura!_

_I won’t let anyone harm them!_

**_Never!_ **

****

**_I will_ ** **KILL HER!**

 

* * *

 

A certain blonde haired boy snapped his eyes open. The woun in his chest healed immediately, the poison in his veins evaporated as if it hadn’t been there in the first place. His once bright blue eyes flashed red, the whisker marks on his cheeks were more prominent as an orange chakra cloak shrouded his body.

 

A demonic grin appeared on his lips as only one thought rang in his mind.

 

**_KILL!_ **


	20. Never Again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Team Seven VS Orochimaru........

Her lips quivered as she placed her hand over Naruto’s forehead, and pursued her lips. _He is still burning with fever._ She tore off a – _questionably clean_ \- strip of her jacket and drenched it in cold water. She then placed it over his forehead.

 

Her eyes then fell on Sasuke, who lay next to Naruto. His eyes were squeezed shut – _unconscious_ \- but his face was twisted in a pained grimace. He whimpered and flinched every once in a while, his body drenched in cold sweat. She quickly placed her glowing green hands over his chest, and a moment later, his expressions schooled into that of relief.

 

She dipped her hands in a container of medicinal salve she had salvaged with some herbs she found around this clearing in the Forest of death, and rubbed it over Sasuke’s bruises. These medicinal salves will not only help in healing the bruises, but the herbs used in them have properties of maintaining the body temperature to a normal level. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about Sasuke’s body temperature drastically changing in a moment’s notice, like it had been doing for the past few hours.

 

She rubbed her bloodshot eyes, the dark bags under them quite visible. She was tired….. so, _so_ tired……. But she dared not to get even a wink of sleep for the fear that that _monster_ will return as soon as she closes her eyes-

 

_Nonononononono-_ she can’t let that happen. _Not again_. She can’t close her eyes, only to open them and find herself the only one conscious, staring at her teammates battered form. The first time that had happened, she felt as if her heart will pierce itself out from her chest with the way it was thudding so hard against her chest. She remembering screaming, she remembering crying, she remembered quivering in terror, wondering if they would make it out alive. It was _hell._

 

She didn’t want to experience it ever again………

 

.

.

.

Ten minutes. It took only _ten. freaking. minutes._ for Orochimaru to thoroughly beat her up in such a way that her body was painted with black and blue bruises. Actually, it’s really amazing that she – _a mere genin_ \- managed to hold this long against one of the legendary Sannin – _no matter how utterly insane, creepy, and terrifying he was_. She had managed to evade most of his hits thanks to kamui. If she didn’t have her mangekyo speciality, she’d have been a thousand times dead by now.

 

But still, it is damn impressive how quickly the Snake Sannin had managed to adapt to her kamui, and even observed it’s weakness and exploited it to the greatest extent. The four seconds lag every time after the kamui is activated may not seem much to anyone, but to a Sannin, defeating an opponent in four seconds is mere piece of cake.

 

And that is why when she saw Orochimaru grin that creepy grin of his as soon as she used Kamui to evade a Wind Style Jutsu, she knew she was fucked. The bastard will definitely knock her out this time – _or maybe kill her, who knows?_

 

She moved back to dodge his grip, but he was faster. She spun around to evade his fist and- _oh fuck, are those snakes slithering from his sleeves? What the hell-_

 

SLAM!

 

The snakes slammed into her, knocking her out of breath as she was careened backwards by the force of the hit. She tried to slam her feet on the ground as a brake, but the _damn reptiles_ seem to want to something more than acting like a paperweight as they bit their poisonous fangs into her arms and neck, making her scream out in pain.

 

Her vision blurred as pain coursed through her veins and she distantly noticed- _why the fuck is she still careening backwards?_

 

SPLASH!

 

Her body hit the surface of a water body –most likely the lake filled with mutant fishes in the eastern part of FOD- and she coughed as water entered her lungs. Her body drifted down slowly, the snakes still hissing and coiling around her body. Oh, and she can’t forget her painful wounds, as well as the poison of the snakes coursing through her body.

 

_‘This sucks.’_ She groaned as she closed her eyes. Not only was she covered in wounds and paralyzed with poison, but she was also drowning with a number of snakes coiling around her body. How unfortunate.

 

Well, at least there was a silver lining in this situation- she was surrounded by water.

 

And guess what her primary chakra affinity is?

.

.

.

Closing her eyes, she let out a pulse of water chakra. Immediately, the surrounding water’s flow reversed as it approached her greedily –as if it was attracted by her water chakra, and wanted more. The different flow of water created currents that soon turned violent. The snakes hissed as water currents sharpened and cut through their scales.

 

The water greedily flowed across her bare skin with feathery light touch – _whatever it could find_ \- and even soaked through her clothes to touch her skin – _as if caressing a newborn baby’s skin._ There is a reason why most people with water chakra affinities become medics. This is because water chakra is known for it’s healing effect.

 

So really, it’s no wonder that the water helped tremendously in increasing her healing process- not only healing her bruises and wounds such that only scabs remained, but also did a half assed job of purging the poison out of her body. Oh well, something is better than nothing. At least she won’t have to deal with the side effects of the poison for a few hours.

 

Taking a deep breath – _and choking on water, seriously, how can she forget she is in water at present? Damn it_ \- she ripped of the snakes off her body and viciously tore their crawling bodies into pieces. As the water around her darkened with snakes’ blood and internal viscera floating around her, she finally sighed in relief.

 

Her eyes darkened as she mentally cursed Orochimaru a thousand times. _That damn snake!_ Of all the times he had to choose to attack Sasuke, he just had to choose during the midst of the Chunin Exams! Not only it isolates them and does it make it unable for them to contact Bakakashi or anyone in-charge, but it also makes harder for them to get reinforcements. Right now, the only people present in the Forest of Death are genins. What genin would be moronic enough to risk the ire of the snake Sannin by helping Team Seven out? _No sane one, that’s who._

 

Well, if others won’t help them, then they would make do with whatever they could themselves. She refused to believe that there is no way they can survive this mess. There has to be a way. _Definitely._

 

Her hands flickered with hand signs at an impossibly fast speed as she remembered Bakakashi’s words when he taught her this Jutsu.

 

_“This is a C-ranked jutsu, that can be used both as an offense or defense. It’s flexible and adaptable, and it’s use depends on the user’s imagination. You can use it as a shield, as an attack, as a supporting platform, as a balance- anything you can think of.”_

 

Her green eyes narrowed as Kakashi’s words rang through her mind-

_“Imagine two jets of water erupting from each palm of your hands, and shape them according to your use. That is the basic concept of this Jutsu. As for the name? Well, it is called-”_

**__ **

**_ “Water Style! Water Jet!” _ **

 

Two Jets of water erupted from her palm, and she used the force to propel herself upwards – _just like a rocket propelling in air._ Her body propelled to the surface of water at top speed and broke through it, the twin jets of water shooting from her hands pushing her forwards. She hovered above the water and then propelled towards Orochimaru, who had a look of surprise on his face, as if he didn’t expect her to get back up from the depths of water.

 

She adjusted one hand to shoot the jet of water while clenching the other in a fist and raised it before her, planning to attack the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru twisted and tried to dodge, but was a second to late as a chakra enhanced punch slammed into his gut with a loud-

 

SLAM!

_“Shannaro!”_ She screamed as the punch sent Orochimaru flying through a number of trees, uprooting them in process.

 

Sakura wheezed as she canceled the water jutsu propelling her forwards and staggered on the ground. She pulled a stray drenched pink lock behind her ear and sneered at the Snake Sannin. “That was for Sasuke, you bastard!”

 

Orochimaru stumbled as he got up from the crater that he had been punted into forcefully by the pink haired genin – _if it had been anything other than a surprise attack, he was sure this girl wouldn’t have succeeded so spectacularly as she did right now_ \- and wiped his bloody lip as blood dripped down his chin. His golden eyes stared intently at the red that stained his fingers, and then he chuckled fiercely.

 

His creepy golden eyes snapped up at the pink haired genin panting and wheezing some meters away from him, and his desire for that sharingan of hers grew even more. _Such talent, how unfortunate it is that she has drawn his ire._

 

His lips quirked up in a sinister smile and he sneered at her, “You’re _dead.”_

.

.

.

Orochimaru was pissed. That much was clear as his figure was a blur as he attacked her continuously, not giving her even a chance to sigh. A slash of Kusanagi here, a punch there; one moment a bunch of snakes shoot from his sleeves, and the next a lightening jutsu or earth jutsu pierces through her.

 

This is too much. She can’t keep up with this fast paced fight. If she hadn’t kept kamui activated for this long,she would’ve been long dead by now. But keeping the Mangekyo abiliy activated for such a long time was absolute murder to her chakra reserves. She needed a distraction, fast.

 

However, due to her lapse of attention, she unconsciously deactivated her kamui, and the Snake Sannin immediately seized this opportunity to attack her.

 

“Kufufufufufufu~ You’re distracted, little Uchiha! Am I not fun enough for you?” Orochimaru said as he released a bunch of snakes from his sleeve that took advantage of Sakura’s momentary distraction, and wrapped around her hands and legs, rendering her motionless. One of the snakes had even the gall to threaten her as it hissed at her and opened his jaw before her eyes- showing fangs that were dripping with venom.

 

“Kamui!” Sakura quickly re-used her mangekyo ability to turn herself intangible, and the snakes slid off from her body and dropped on the ground with nothing solid holding them up. Sneering at the offending reptiles, she set off an explosion seal beneath them, and a moment later-

 

BOOM!

 

Snake guts and shattered scales and blood flung everywhere as the snakes became snake-kebab because of the explosion.

 

She panted as she darted her eyes around. Were the hell did that Sanin go? She expanded her chakra sense- _oh shit he is behind her-_

 

She _moved_ , but was a second too late. A scream tore through her lips as high voltage electricity shocked her to numbness. The lightening Jutsu rammed into her as Orochimaru’s hand clamped around shoulder and channeled coarse lightening chakra into her body.

 

Black spots danced around her vision. Her legs felt as if they’ve turned into jelly. Electricity sparked into her body, sending her nervous system haywire.

 

THUD!

 

Her body landed head first on the ground, unable to move a single inch. Numbness spread through her body. _That damn Orochimaru!_ Having a primary water affinity means she was weak against lightening jutsus. He shocked her nervous system to numbness, making her unable to feel or move. Thanks to him messing with her nervous system, her motor control has now turned shit. Her chakra is all over the place, making it difficult for her to keep her sharingan activated.

 

Damn it! He defeated her in _one. single. move!_ How pathetic can she be?

 

She needed to heal herself quickly! But healing her numb nerves will take time, which she does not have right now. Even lifting a finger was torture. She gritted her teeth and glared at Snake Sanin as he stared at her in amusement.

 

“You know what is worse for an incapacitated field medic?” Orochimaru _purred_ as electricity sparked through his hands once again, and Sakura’s heart sank. Her green eyes widened in fear. _Nononononono! He wouldn’t-_ “A field medic with destroyed chakra network.”

 

She squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to see her body being ripped apart by him, with her internal organs flying everywhere. Her ears noted the crackle of the lightening Jutsu as he lunged at her-

 

Her chakra senses tingled as they detected the presence of two chakra signatures. _What the-?_

 

** “STAY AWAY FROM HER, YOU BASTARD!” **

 

“DON’T YOU _DARE_ TOUCH HER!”

 

Two screams rang around the clearing simultaneously as the lightening jutsu neared her, and then-

 

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

 

Sakura’s body was flung backwards with the impact of the jutsu as it hit something. She unconsciously opened her eyes, and gasped in shock when she found herself staring at two figures- one purple and one red. Sasuke and Naruto had their backs facing her, but she was sure they had a furious expression on their faces, with their eyes glaring daggers at the Snake Sannin. Sasuke’s chakra reserves seem to have recovered as a full equipped Susanoo hovered over him. His Susanoo had acted as a barrier against the devastating lightening jutsu Orochimaru had used to kill her. And Naruto-

 

A shiver of terror ran down her spine as she stared at orange-ish red cloak surrounding Naruto’s crouched figure that held Orochimaru’s jutsu active hand tightly in it’s grip. The oppressive chakra was filled with so much _angerpainhatehatehatehateha **TEHATE-**_

 

She turned her head to the side and retched out the contents of her stomach. Such malicious, oppressive chakra seemed to be weighing down n her. Even a non-sensor can feel this chakra for miles, her being a chakra sensor is even worse- _it’s as if a thousand ton weight has been stomped on her body._ She wished she could deactivate hers senses- the pain, the _agony_ she felt sensing this chakra makes her want to claw and rip out her own skin to distract herself with physical pain.

 

What is going on? What is this red chakra that surrounded Naruto? And why…… why is it so violent and corrosive?

 

Her breathing quickened and she whimpered in pain. Her vision blurred, as mental pain ripped through her numb body.

 

_IwanttodiediediediediedIE **DIEDIE** -_

 

**‘Calm down.’** A soothing voice whispered in her mind as Sakura got aware of a familiar presence in her mindscape.

 

‘ _Obito…..’_ She whimpered as the oppressive chakra played havoc on her chakra sensory ability.

 

A pulse of Obito’s chakra washed over her chakra system, clearing the oppressive chakra weighing her down.  **‘Breathe, Sakura. Breathe.’** He whispered in a soothing voice as Sakura finally sighed in relief.

 

“You shouldn’t have brought them here….” Sakura murmured incoherently as her head lolled to the side, her body still motionless – _thanks to her fried nervous system_. She blinked her eyes to clear the blurry vision –but to no avail.

 

Obito shrugged, “They insisted. They said they’d rather fight alongside you then let you suffer alone.”

 

She closed her eyes with a sigh as warmth flooded in her heart. “Idiots.” She muttered fondly as her vision darkened and she blacked out.

.

.

.

 

* * *

 

 ~O~

Her eyes watered as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Don’t do that again.” She choked out a sob as she stared at her incapacitated teammates. “I don’t want you to protect me if you get hurt in the process.”

 

She stared at her hands as they clenched into fists and whispered. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me _ever again.”_

.

.

.

The next time Sakura woke up, the sky had darkened and a few stars have shown themselves in the sky. But she did not have the time to enjoy this beautiful scenery because her gaze was locked on Sasuke, who sat before her, leaning forward with pained expression on his face.

 

“Sasuke…..?” She muttered hoarsely s she tried to move, and flinched as her limbs _ached_. Her wounds seemed to have healed, and her chakra network and nervous system were working properly – _most likely Obito has healed them while she was unconscious_ \- but the chakra exhaustion and fatigue still needed to be dealt with.

 

She let her eyes wander around, and inhaled sharply as she noticed a scene of utter destruction before her. The ground has been torn apart, the trees uprooted, huge craters and cracks adorning everywhere. A part of the clearing was burning –most likely because of a fire jutsu gone wrong- and then there was a patch of grass that had been charred beyond recognition. What the hell happened here?

 

A hiss of pin drew her attention, and Sakura let her eyes fall on Naruto’s unconscious figure that lay next to her, and gasped in shock and horror. His skin was reddish and charred, and at most places it looked as if it has been peeled off from his body. Bruises and wounds adorned his body, and there was a deep flesh wound on his shoulder from which she could even make out a bit of bone peeking from the wound. His orange jumpsuit was in tatters and barely held over his body. His black undershirt was torn apart, revealing his malnourished abdomen. What shocked her even more wasn’t his exhausted figure or the wounds painting his body……..

 

………..but the seal that pulsed an ugly shade of red and black on his tummy.

 

What is this seal? Who placed it on Naruto? ………….Was it Orochimaru?

 

_No……………_ it doesn’t look like it had been created only a few hours ago. Such intricate and complex seal requires time and effort. It takes months – _no, years_ \- to develop such kind of seal. If Orochimaru has planned to put this seal on Naruto, then why would he waste his time chasing Sasuke, if his goal had been Naruto all along?

 

Then that means, this seal has been on Naruto for a long time.

 

But who put this seal on Naruto? And why?

 

“……..You’re awake.” A pained, but relieved voice muttered with a sigh.

 

Sakura reluctantly took her eyes off from the seal on Naruto’s tummy, and glanced at Sasuke and took in a deep breath as she noted his battered form. She ignored her body flinching in pain as she crawled forward, and placed a trembling glowing green hand over his arm and diagnosed his condition.

_Thirteen broken ribs……. a fractured ankle………major  third degree burns and bruises……… Chakra exhaustion……….. mental and physical fatigue………… poisoning…………….._

 

_Oh. My. God._ How the hell is he still coherent after all this?! How long has he been watching over them, ignoring and enduring this pain all this time?!

 

Why? Why would he go through such lengths to suffer such inhumane agony!

 

Sasuke placed a trembling hand over her glowing green one, and shook his head. “It’s alright.” He mumbled, trying to sound ressuring and failing epically.

 

“No, you’re not alright.” Sakura said stubbornly as she pulled out a chakra pill from her pocket and immediately swallowed it. A moment later, she noted her chakra reserves filling at a fast rate. “Let me heal you.” She said as she tried to help him lie next to Naruto, but the Uchiha stubbornly refused.

 

Sighing at her teammate’s stubborn behavior, Sakura mentally apologized to Sasuke as she hit Sasuke’s neck with a karate chop, and a moment later, he fell down, unconscious.

 

She helped Sasuke leaned against the rock boulder she had been sleeping against, and placed a glowing green hand over his chest as she started healing him.

 

But no matter how much she tried to heal him, her healing chakra somehow got tainted by a foreign presence. Annoyed at the stupid thing hindering her healing process, she searched for the source of the tainted chakra, and found it at the base of Sasuke’s neck. Lifting Sasuke forward a bit, she glanced at his neck, and immediately broke out in cold sweat.

 

A three tomoe curse mark was sprawled on Sasuke’s neck.

 

.

.

.

_( **Time** \- T minus 112 hours before the end of Second Phase)_


	21. We don't do charity

 

 ~O~

He walked on the surface of water by applying adhesive chakra under his feet, and kept walking onwards. The tunnel became narrower and narrower, and he wondered if he'll ever reach it's end. He took a right turn once again, and kept walking.

A moment later, he could see huge bars appear in front of him and he sighed in relief. Finally, he made it to the end of sewer.

A soft growl rumbled around the sewer, creating ripples in the sewage water as a lone, crimson eye appeared in the dark expanse behind the bars.

**_"So, you're here huh?"_**  the deep, ancient voice grumbled sarcastically, as it mocked him.  ** _"Congratulations."_**

"I finally found you," He replied dryly as he stared at the creature hiding behind the bars, "the nine tailed fox."

The creature grinned, revealing it's sharp teeth as it spoke,  ** _"You may have come here on your own, but you won't go back from here alive!"_**  The nine tailed fox took a few steps forward, revealing it's mighty figure of a giant fox with gleaming, orange fur and menacing red eyes. What was even more surprising – _and awe inspiring_ \- were the nine tails that swished lazily.  ** _"This time I'll devour your soul and break this stupid seal, and finally gain my freedom!"_**

Naruto smirked as he crouched down in an attacking stance. He made hand signs for shadow clones and exclaimed with a grin, "Try me, dattebayo!"

 

~O~

 

Sasuke panted as he struggled under  _his_  grip, but to no avail.

"Release. me.  _now!"_  He hissed in anger as he glared at his opponent who gripped his throat even tighter, making him choke.

The enemy leaned forward as he whispered in Sasuke's ear, "Foolish little brother, you really think your life is worth anything to me?" he then threw Sasuke away as if he were a ragdoll, and walked away. He kicked a corpse lying next to him and said in a mocking tone, "I didn't even spare them, why would I spare  _you?"_

Sasuke's eyes burned as they fell on the bodies of his precious teammates – _Naruto….. Sakura… nononononoNONONONO-!_  –that lay dead in a pool of blood, among the corpses of many other Uchiha clansmen that diedby Itachi's hands. In this world of red and black, there were nothing but corpses of his loved ones lying in a pool of blood, every single one of them killed by Itachi's hands.

"Itachi," Sasuke snarled angrily as he panted, throwing away the last bit of rationality in his mind,  _"I'll kill you!"_

_(He never noticed a small, white snake, staring at him with creepy golden eyes.)_

~O~

* * *

 

Sakura placed her glowing green hand over Sasuke's forehead, whose facial expressions finally showed relief. She wiped the cold sweat over his body with a damp cloth, and then turned her attention to Naruto as she checked his pulse. Sighing, she picked up the medicine container- only to find it empty.

"Damn it." Se hissed under her breath as she realized that the supplies were perishing at a much faster rate than she had imagined. Medicinal salves and pills have already been finished, there was only half a bottle of fresh, clean water remaining –and to say nothing of food. She has been swallowing those stupid food pills for the past fifteen hours. At this rate she will starve herself as well as her teammates before they even wake up.

With a poof of smoke, an exact replica of her body appeared next to her –with the exception of the glowing Mangekyo in their right eye, and the left part of their body shrouded in darkness.

**"You think too much."**  The possessed shadow clone said softly as they sat next to her.  **"If you like, I'll stay here with them while you gather supplies."**

"Stop wasting my chakra." Sakura scolded Obito who had possessed her shadow clone, "I'm already exhausted taking care of these idiots."

**"Then sleep for a few hours,"**  the possessed shadow clone said with a shrug, knowing that she's only irritated because she didn't get much rest ever since their scuffle with Orochimaru,  **"I'll keep watch over you guys."**

Sakura shook her head. "No need." She then eyed him critically from the corner of her eyes and said dryly, "So, now you can create shadow clones without my help and even possess them perfectly. Congrats."

**"Practice makes a ninja perfect, Outer** ** _."_** Smiling smugly, the possessed clone's eyes fell on Naruto's sweat covered face and wiped it with a cloth.

Sakura picked a water bottle and opened it's cap and took a few sips. She placed the now empty bottle next to her and sighed, "I can't procrastinate any longer. According to my estimate, they will wake up by tonight. Having some food, water and medicines will come in handy then."

The clone sighed exasperatedly,  **"I told you I'll keep an eye on them."**  When she didn't look convinced enough, the possessed clone continued on,  **"Besides, you've rigged the whole clearing around this cave with your seals and traps. Trust me, I'll hold the fort till you get back."**

She squinted her eyes at him. "Promise?"

The shadow clone smiled,  **"Pinky promise."**

* * *

"Let's take part in Chunin Exams, they said. We'll kick everyone's ass and become chunins, they said. And now,  _you_  two idiots are lying incapacitated while  _I_  am scurrying around a jungle like a moron, searching for supplies." Sakura grumbled under her breath as she pierced a chakra enhanced punch through a mutant rabbit's heart, and then sealed the dead carcass of the rabbit, and it's ten other kin that had the misfortune of dying under her hand – _not her fault they decided to attack her out of nowhere_ \- in a storage scroll. "I  _swear_  if they don't wake up by tonight, I'll personally wake them up with an A ranked lightening jutsu. An electric shock can restart even a still heart, to say nothing of two unconscious baffoons."

She paused as she placed the storage scroll back in her pouch – _surprisingly, mutant rabbit's meat is quite nutritious and delicious, once grilled. Hopefully, it'll make a good meal for tonight_ \- and sighed, "Well, now we have enough food to feed Naruto for three days." She hummed under her breath as she jumped up from tree to tree, and mumbled, "I've already got enough water to last us till the end of exams."

Her eyes wandered around as she skipped from tree to tree, and suddenly fell on a small shrub underneath a tree with small, purple flowers. "Oh, that looks useful!" She exclaimed as she crouched next to the shrub, and collected it's leaves as well as flowers as placed them in a storage scroll in which she was storing herbs.

Pulling out a kunai, she nonchalantly smashed it into a giant centipede just behind her – _the bastard had the gall to sneak attack on her while she had been collecting herbs. These creatures seriously thought she'd be distracted enough to_ not _pay attention to her surroundings?_ \- and got up after placing the scroll in her pocket. She had been about to turn around when suddenly, her body stiffened on it's own.

"I'm an  _idiot._ " She hissed under her breath as she tried to move her limbs –but to no avail. The dark shadow under her feet elongated and stretched, leading towards a corner which suddenly distorted, and a twelve year old Nara boy became visible to her eyes.

" ** _Shadow Possession Jutsu_** , Success." Shikamaru smirked as he tauntingly raised a brow at Sakura.

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, you got me." She muttered grudgingly. "Though I have a question- how come I didn't sense you at all?"

Shikamaru's smirk widened as he said, "Well, it's all thanks to Ino." He then paused and glanced at his side and said, unimpressed, "I thought you wanted bragging rights?"

Sakura stared at him as if he were a lunatic – _which… is debatable, because after all, he_ is  _talking to thin air_. But soon, her jaw hit the floor in disbelief and amazement as the air next to him distorted, and suddenly, Ino and Choji appeared in her field of vision.

"Damn right I do!" Ino scoffed.

"Wha-? How?"

Ino said smugly, " ** _Mind distortion Jutsu_** , It makes the presence of anyone in it's range to overlook the presence of the user and whoever they are touching."

"We also hid our chakra signature –just in case." Choji said with a shrug.

"Let's get down to business." Shikamaru stated as he walked forward, and at the same time Sakura's body under the possession of the shadow unwillingly walked towards him. "Give us your scroll."

"What if it's not the one you want?" Sakura asked stubbornly, neither agreeing nor denying to the deal.

"Then we'll hold you captive and threaten your idiot teammates to get the Earth scroll for us and hand it to us." Shikamaru said lazily as he tilted his head. "What say?"

Sakura's eyes darkened.  _Damn Nara boy_. Turns out, the rumors about the intelligence of Nara clan's people wasn't false.

Sakura hummed under her breath and said, "You're smart, Shikamaru. I'll give you that." She smiled and said, "I'd really like to fight you someday, one on one." Saying this, the Sakura confined by the shadows suddenly disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"What?!" the three of them were startled as they stared at the residual smoke left by the shadow clone.

"Damn it, she played us!" Ino snarled in frustration.

Choji looked around nervously and asked, "When do you think she replaced herself with a shadow clone?"

Shikamaru answered, "Most likely just before I trapped her with Shadow Possession Jutsu."

"You mean we've been talking to a clone this whole time?" Ino shrieked in disbelief.

Shikamaru winced as he rubbed his ear, "Are you trying to turn me deaf, you troublesome girl?!"

Before Ino could round up on him and lecture him on his rudeness, Sakura's voice rang around the clearing. "You guys almost got me, I'll give you that."

The three of them turned and stared up at sakura, who was standing high on a branch of a tall tree.

Shikamaru sighed, "Whatever gave us away?"

Sakura answered back, "The plan had been perfect, and I'd definitely have fallen in your trap on any normal day if-" She paused as her eyes skimmed over Ino, "Ino's chakra hadn't fluctuated during the casting of her jutsu." She eyed Ino and asked softly, "You haven't perfected your Jutsu, have you? It must've required perfect level of chakra control, which is where you went wrong."

Choji and Shikamaru glanced at Ino, who clenched her fist and glared murderously at Sakura. "I'll get back at you, I swear." She hissed at her.

"Please don't." Sakura sighed tiredly, the dark bags under her eyes made her look paler than she already was. "I don't have time to deal with you guys." She then pulled out something from the pocket of her – _barely hanging_ \- jacket and asked, "You needed an Earth Scroll, right?"

Shikamaru asked warily, "Yeah, why?"

Sakura threw something towards him, which he caught with practiced ease. To his surprise and disbelief, it turned out to be an Earth scroll. He snapped his head towards Sakura, who waved her hand dismissively and said, "Keep it. Take it as a token of my appreciation for almost trapping me with your ingenious plan and great teamwork." She then paused and added on as an afterthought, "and don't come after me anymore. It's not safe."

Saying this, she body flickered away, leaving behind three confused genin of Team Ten.

* * *

_(_ _**Time** _ _\- T minus 94 hours before the end of Second Phase)_

Hinata wandered the halls of the Central tower in the Forest of death, looking for her friends. It has been twenty six hours since the Second Phase has started, and Team Eight had been the third team to pass the Exams. Actually, considering their timing of getting the scroll and arriving at the tower – _three hours and thirty five minutes_ \- hasn't been bad. In fact, they had been wondering if they were the first to complete the survival mission.

Of course, all their imagination and daydreams were crushed completely when they were told that two teams had already arrived before them, and they hadn't even taken a full hour to complete the survival task. Hearing about the record those two teams had set up made the members of Team Eight want to die in shame. Their Tracking team wasn't up to par with a team from Suna and Takigakure respectively.  _How humiliating._

The Team from Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall) were the first ones to arrive –taking only forty six minutes to complete the survival Mission. Suna's team – _the one with the psycho red haired guy_ \- took fifty two minutes. Against such mind breaking records, Hinata and her team's puny timing of three hours and thirty five minutes stood no chance.

"Hey Hinata! What'cha thinking about?!" a bubbly voice exclaimed next to Hinata, making her wince. Oh yes, as if that hadn't been humiliating enough, now she also has to babysit a fourteen year old, hyperactive, cheery girl with a penchant for trouble.

"N-Nothing, Fuu." Hinata said nervously as she poked her fingers. "I-I'm just w-worried about my friends."

"Really?" Fuu's eyes sparkled at the word 'Friends', making Hinata flinch. She just  _had to_  say it, didn't she? Damn it. "Come on, tell me about them,  _please?_ " Fuu unleashed her puppy dog eyed look at Hinata, making the girl's eyes soften.

"U-Um," Hinata mumbled, "t-there's Sakura –she has pink hair and is v-very pretty and kind. T-Then there's N-N-Naruto." Her cheeks turned pink as she spoke her crush's name, and she stuttered, "h-h-he is v-v-very hard w-working, and i-i-is always trying h-h-his best. H-H-he inspires me." she mumbled softly.

Glancing at Fuu's inquiring eyes, she continued on, "There is a-also S-Sasuke uchiha- w-who is Sakura and N-Naruto's teammate. Shikamaru is l-lazy and likes to c-cloud watch, I-Ino is v-very beautiful and is s-social p-person. C-Choji likes to e-eat." She then paused and mumbled, "You've already m-met Kiba and S-Shino."

Fuu's eyes brightened, "They sound like really interesting people! I hope they'll be my friends too!" She hesitated, and stared at Hinata nervously, "they will, right?"

Hinata nodded nervously, "O-Of course, they will! Y-You are a n-n-nice person, Fuu. I-I'm sure they'd l-love to be your friend."

Fuu gave her a beaming smile and hugged her. "You're awesome, Hinata! Thank you for being my friend!"  _Thank you for being my first friend ever…_

_(Somewhere in her mindscape, Chomei smiled. His little bug finally got her wish fulfilled.)_

* * *

Sakura's eye twitched as she stared at her possessed shadow clone – _that happens to be Obito_ \- who leaned against the wall of the cave and dozing off without any care in the world. She clenched her fist and bonked the clone on it's head, making her(him?) scream in terror.

The clone blinked it's mismatched eyes and stared at her,  **"Oh, it's just you."**

A vein popped over her head, "I left you to keep watch,  _not_ to nap carelessly." She hissed at him. "Do you  _not_  have any sense of responsibility?"

The clone chuckled and held their hand up in defense.  **"Now, now Sakura, such temper isn't good for your health."**

She pulled out a kunai from her weapon's pouch and smiled a bit  _too_  sweetly, "You know I can't calm my temper down unless I've maimed  _or_ murdered someone,  _right?"_

The clone gulped in terror and scooted away from her.

"And  _luckily_ , I even have a volunteer here." Sakura  _purred_  as she stepped closer to him slowly, and dramatically. She tilted her head and asked  _sweetly_ , "Any last words?"

The possessed clone squeaked out,  **"Sorry?"**

"Too late!" Sakura snarled as she thrust her kunai into the other's heart, and a moment later the possessed shadow clone disappeared in a poof of smoke.

**'You're heartless!'**  Obito screamed in her mind as he shivered in terror, ' **who kills their own partner like that?!'**

Sakura rolled her eyes and murmured, "You're not dead, are you? You just came back where you truly belong."

**'You ruthless little brat.'**  Obito rumbled,  **'No wonder you've got no boyfriend. Who'd want a heartless little girlfriend like you?'**

Sakura's expression darkened,  _"What. did. you. say?!"_

He squeaked,  **'Nothing!'**

* * *

_(Some hours later….)_

"You remember our mission, don't you?" The boy whispered as he eyes the pink haired girl in the cave tending to her teammates.

His fellow teammate scoffed as he adjusted the device on his arm, "Of course, we just have to kill the Uchiha boy right? Easy as a pie."

"That's not the only thing." The only girl in their team piped in, "Lord Orochimaru said we also have to get the girl's right eye. He said he'll use it as a spare in his experiments."

The other boy scoffed, "That is even easier than killing the Uchiha!" he mumbled in distaste. "What can a puny girl like her do?"

The boy with his face covered in bandages rolled his eyes, "Stop it, Kin, Zaku. Remember, we cannot fail this mission. The price of failure is our lives." He said sternly.

The two of them trembled in fear at the thought of what will happen to them if they fail this mission-  _with death being the best outcome, and facing Juugo being the worst._

"Yes, Dosu." The two of them mumbled in unison.

* * *

Sakura had been on the verge of dozing off, when suddenly, Obito's voice rang in her mind,  **'Someone is keeping an eye on us.'**  He paused and then said,  _'_ **There's three of them.'**

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed, and a moment later she sat up, alert. "Are they strong?"

He paused and then answered with a shrug,  **'Meh, you can handle them.'**

Sakura shrugged, "In that case, I don't even need to go. My seals are more than enough for them." Saying this, she turned back towards her teammates as she rubbed some medicinal salves over their wounds. Sakura placed her hands over Sasuke's chest and continued healing his broken bones, when suddenly she was startled by the sound of explosion-

BOOM!

Followed by a loud SMASH!-

-and then the ground trembled, and softened like clay.

Sakura quickly grabbed Naruto and Sasuke's limp bodies and jumped out of the cave as the cave slowly sank into the ground as if it were stuck in the middle of a swamp. Her expression turned ugly as she saw how the softened ground disabled most of her traps and seals, and then her eyes fell on the three genins, who were smirking smugly.

Sakura placed Naruto and Sasuke's unconscious figures against a rock boulder, and then stood up and shot her foes a glare. The three of them looked quite older-  _must be in the middle of their teenage years_ \- and they wore army print clothes, with the Hidden sound's symbol on their headband. The only girl in their team had tanned skin, dark eyes, and raven hair that fell down her back. There was a muscular, burly boy with a strange head protector and a weird device in his arms. Last but not the least was the guy whose face was covered in bandages – _why is he dressed in a mummy-gone-wrong disguise?!_ -who stood with a hunched back.

Sakura's eye twitched as she asked in annoyance _, 'I thought you said they aren't strong enough?'_

Obito scratched his head,  **'I said that because their chakra reserves aren't much.'**

_'Oh really? Then how come they almost sunk us into the ground along with our temporary hideout?!'_  Sakura hissed angrily,  _'It'd take a B or A ranked Earth Jutsu to turn the ground into soft mud and sink everything in it's range.'_

Obito was about to argue back, but was interrupted by the guy dressed as a Mummy.

"I have to say, your traps were impressive." The leader said in a mocking tone. "For a rookie, anyways."

Sakura gritted her teeth. ' _Okay,_ now _I'm mad.'_

**'Ditto.'**  Obito seethed in anger.  _No one_  insults Sakura's skills – _that he took years refining_ \- and gets away with it.

"What do you want?" Sakura bit out as she tried to suppress her anger.

The girl cocked her head to the side and answered, "Why, isn't it obvious? Your scroll, of course!"

Sakura snorted, "Spare me the lies. I'm not an idiot." She raised a brow and asked, "Orochimaru sent you, didn't he?"

The three of them were startled, "What?!"

"Your chakra," Sakura pointed out. "It's tainted. It's quite similar to Orochimaru's when he disguised himself as a Kusagakure genin." She added mentally  _'and it also feels familiar to the tainted chakra I found in Sasuke.'_

"She knows too much." The bandaged guy mumbled. "No wonder Lord Orochimaru wants her dead."

The burly guy smirked, "Then that means we don't need to hold back any longer now. Do we, Dosu?"

Dosu-the guy with his face bandaged like a Mummy- waved his hand in dismissal, "Do whatever you want Kin, Zaku."

Kin giggled. "With pleasure." Saying this, she pulled out her senbons that had bells attached at one end, and threw them at her.

Sakura dodged them with practiced ease as she body flickered towards Kin and aimed a punch, but to her surprise, her punch just passed through her. The image before her dissolved, and a moment later Sakura coughed up blood as Zaku smashed his palms towards her back, and through the two tubes in his palms a highly pressured wave of air smashed into Sakura –piercing and damaging her lungs.

Zaku smirked, "Goodbye, loser."

"Not so soon, you bastard." A voice whispered in his ear, and Zaku froze. A chakra enhanced punch smashed into his gut, sending him flying.

The genjutsu shattered as the surroundings around them changed, and soon reality fixed itself as Dosu stared in disbelief at Sakura, who now stood at the same place where Zaku stood a moment ago. Kin was lying on the ground some distance away from her, with bruises and broken bones; while Zaku who had been sent flying was found laid in the midst of a crater, coughing up blood.

Sakura tilted her head to the side and said nonchalantly as she spared Kin a glance, "Attaching bells at the end of senbons to cast an auditory genjutsu that messes up the opponent's five senses- not bad. That is quite in-genius, I'll give you that. But-" She then narrowed her eyes and said, "it isn't enough to deal with me."

Dosu stared up at the – _seemingly weak_ \- pink haired girl, whose glare sent a shiver of terror down his spine. What startled him even more were the three black tomoe spinning in her right, sharingan eye.

_'So that's why Lord Orochimaru wants her right eye…'_  Dosu thought absently as he realized that this mission is going to be  _way more_  dangerous than he had expected it to be.

"You know," Sakura glanced at Zaku's groaning form lying in crater, and then glared Dosu, "Normally I'd spare you guys, but these past few days haven't exactly been sunshine and daisies. Hence,  _I'm fucking pissed."_ Her rosy lips twitched upwards in a venomous smile as she said, "and  _luckily_ , three idiots sent themselves on my doorway to be used as punching bags. Lucky~ _"_

Saying this, Sakura clenched her fingers in a fist, and said in a monotone, "So, get ready for the ride of your life!"

Saying this, she punched the ground with a chakra enhanced fist, screaming-

_"SHANNARO!"_

.

.

.

**'I think you went overboard.'**  Obito mumbled nervously as he noted the destruction Sakura razed in her fit of temper.

_'I think so too.'_  -was Sakura's sheepish answer.

Sakura swung her legs lazily as she sat on a boulder –that she had uprooted from the ground herself and smashed on Zaku when he was being a cockroach and  _won't just stay down!_ \- as she eyed the havoc she had wrecked on the Sound Team who had the gall to attack her team when they were down.

The ground was in tatters- there were huge craters and cracks scattered around the clearing. The trees were uprooted, and rocks laid haphazardly around the tattered ground. A corner of the clearing was still charred with flames from her fireball jutsu, and there was another part of the clearing that was drenched in water from her Water Jutsu. Kin flopped in the water – _her dress torn, muddy and was barely hanging on her body_ \- as she somehow crawled out from the water hole and glared murderously at Sakura. Dosu –whose lower body was buried in the ground- smashed his fist on the ground to loosen the soil, and stumbled out from the pit.

Sakura sighed.  _'What a pity. These three Sound genin are like cockroaches-why won't they just stay down like normal people?'_ She grumbled. She used up her chakra reserves on releasing her pent up stress and anger on these bunch of idiots.

Dosu and Kin met up with each other and glared seethingly at her. "It seems we've underestimated you." Dosu said as he pulled off the fur coat over his body.

Sakura snorted as she muttered, "Understatement of the century."

Kin winced as she placed a hand over her neck, and snarled angrily, "I swear I'll kill you, you pathetic little devil!"

Sakura blinked and said in an innocent tone, "Wow, that's a new one."

**'I know right! Normally, people only call you brat, or moron, or fool, or fashion disaster, or-'**

Sakura's eye twitched.  _'I get your point. Now, Shut. up.'_

Dosu tilted his head to the side and said, "You'll regret making us serious,  _Leaf scum_." Saying this, he placed a hand over the back of his neck, and hissed in pain a moment later. Sakura stared flabbergasted, as Kin too let out a pained groan. She stared at then curiously, wondering what exactly was going on.  _And why is their chakra twisting, and changing like that?_

**'Shit Sakura, below you!'**  Obito hollered in alarm, and Sakura jumped off not a moment too soon as the rock boulder she had been sitting on shattered into pieces-

BOOM!

-leaving a cloud of dust in it's wake. Her mismatched eyes – _one red and one green_ \- stared at the cloud of dust as it gradually settled down, leaving behind Zaku, with strange black markings all over his body. The same kind of markings that were now visible on Kin and Dosu's bodies.

**_"Curse mark- Level One! Activate!"_ **

* * *

_'It's as if they've been injected with steroids.'_  Sakura thought absently as she barely avoided Dosu's punches, and winced as the blast of sound waves from the device on his hand affected her hearing, as well as her sense of balance.  _'They're faster, stronger, and ow-!'_  she winced as Zaku aimed a punch at her gut, making her almost spit out blood _, '-their hits hurt like HELL!'_

**'It's the curse mark.'**  Obito answered back as he urged his chakra to heal her auditory nerves,  **'They have become much stronger ever since it's activation.'**

_'_ _I have a theory.'_  Suppressing the vertigo caused by Dosu's jutsu, Sakura dodged the senbons thrown by Kin, and  _punched_ the ground, making the Sound Team back off a bit.  _'I think the curse mark is prompting the duplication and regeneration of cells at a much faster rate, making their metabolic activities_ _also quicker, and hence leading to their momentary increase in power. In other terms, the Curse mark is just like a steroid.'_

"My, my," Kin said as she appeared behind Sakura and pierced her senbon into Sakura's right shoulder, making her cry out in pain. "Tired already? And we haven't even started the real show yet!"

Sakura bit her lip as she kicked Kin –which she dodged easily, and she skidded back a few steps. She tried to move her right arm- but to no avail.  _Damn it, the woman numbed her arm and rendered it useless!_

"Oh? I'm sorry, I'm not really into television shows." Sakura said nonchalantly as she sent some healing chakra towards her right arm, and winced as she found some traces of foreign substance in her bloodstream.  _Of course_ , Kin just  _had to_  soak her senbons in poison. Goddammit, she  _hated_  poisons!

Dosu smirked, "Don't worry, you'll  _really_ like this one."

Sakura eyed the three Sound genin as they surrounded her, and resisted the urge to smack her past self for infuriating them. If she hadn't gone overboard in her rage, things might not have gotten this bad.

….On second thought, that episode had made her release her much pent-up stress and frustration –so yeah,  _no_. She doesn't regret it even a bit.

Sighing, she pulled out a chakra pill and swallowed it.

**'Are you crazy?! Stop swallowing pills like they're candies!'**  Obito scolded her.  **'You'll get chakra poisoning!'**

_'I don't have any choice. I can handle one of them quite easily, but against the three of them I don't think I'll win.'_  Sakura admitted as she tensed, and readied herself for the upcoming fight.  _'You know my chakra reserves aren't like Naruto's or Sasuke's.'_

**'I can deal with them if you like.'**  Obito offered.

_'If you leave my body now to fight, I'll collapse from poisoning._ ' Sakura thought wryly. ' _Don't think I haven't noticed you using your coarse yin chakra to isolate the poison towards my right arm.'_

**'So, what do we do?'**  Obito asked quietly as Sakura clutched a kunai tighter between her fingers.

Sakura smirked as she said, "Now we  _fight."_

Her right eye spun in the shuriken like pattern of Mangekyo, and she yelled,  ** _" Kamui!"_**

* * *

"Ino," Shikamaru asked nervously as he stared at the brutal battle ongoing some distance away from them. He stood with his teammates on a branch of a very tall tree, from where the battle between Sakura and the three genin from Sound Village was quite visible. "Are you sure you don't want to help her? I thought you two were childhood friends."

Ino eyed Sakura nervously as her body turned intangible and she  _passed right through Dosu's punch_ ,(What kind of Jutsu does that?!) and punched him –which he caught easily. "We're not friends." Ino said firmly. However, she winced the next second when Sakura's piercing screams sent goosebumps raising over her arm as Dosu shattered her wrist in a swift motion. A seal appeared beneath her and activated a moment later, sending a ground shattering explosion throughout the clearing.

Sakura's intangible form passed through the fire and debris as she shrouded her broken wrist in healing chakra, mending it so that she can keep fighting. A second later, she dodged a barrage of senbons thrown towards her, however some still managed to pierce her body.

Zaku appeared behind her a moment later as he grabbed her limp right shoulder, and shot a pressurized bullet of air pressure through it, leaving a marble-sized hole in her shoulder. She cried out in pain, her throat no longer managed to let out even a scream.

Choji trembled as he muttered, "This is torture." He had already placed the bag of potato chips deeper in his pocket, as he no longer intent to eat anymore. Watching this brutal battle made him loose his appetite. He eyed Ino nervously, "We should help her, right? Even if you two aren't friends anymore, we're still classmates who graduated together." He then added on as an afterthought, "She even gave us the Earth Scroll."

"Shut up!" Ino yelled, "We got it fair and square!"

"We got it in charity, Ino." Shikamaru pointed out dryly.

"No we didn't!" Ino snarled angrily.

"Decide quickly, you troublesome girl," Shikamaru hissed as he glanced at Sakura, who stumbled as she got up and did half-hand signs with her left hand and shot out a majestic Water Dragon at her opponents –however, the Water Dragon collapsed a moment later before it could even hurt the enemies. "I think she's reaching her limit."

* * *

Sakura panted as she eyed the puddle left behind by the Water Dragon Jutsu that had collapsed before it could even hurt the Sound Genin. Turns out, using Jutsus you have copied with your sharingan without prior practice is a  _bad i_ dea.

Kin stretched her limbs –making the curse marks on her skin gleam sinisterly- as she exclaimed, "My, it has been so long since I've exercised so vigorously!"

Sakura bristled at her comment. ' _Exercise?! I'll show you exercise, you two faced, good-for-nothing, stupid girl!'_

Dosu sighed exasperatedly, "It is such a shame we have to cut our play time short. Lord Orochimaru must be waiting for the good news." He then turned to Zaku and said, "You deal with the Uchiha." He then turned to Kin, and gestured towards Sakura, and said, "You know what to do."

"What are you-"

Sakura couldn't even complete her statement as the two of them  _moved_. Zaku body flickered towards the lone corner where Naruto and Sasuke's unconscious bodies lay, while Kin appeared behind her, and grabbed her by her hair and  _pulled._

Sakura cried out in pain as she activated Kamui, and passed right through Kin- _freeing her hair from the dark haired girl's grasp._

She then activated her body flicker, but somehow, she was still slower than Zaku. She tried, she really did, as she poured more chakra into her limbs- but she still couldn't match up to Zaku's speed. She vaguely sensed Kin coming after her from behind, but she didn't have time to deal with her, for her attention was on her teammates who didn't have any idea that danger approached them.

_'Come on…'_  She hissed as she urged herself to go faster.

_Faster….._

_Much, much faster…._

_Reach them…_

_Protect them….._

_Save them….._

Suddenly, something in her mind clicked as she  _finally_  got what Shisui had been trying to tell her when he was teaching her his Body Flicker (Shunshin) technique years ago.

_._

_._

_._

_"It isn't about a single shunshin," Shisui's grinning face appeared in her mind. "It's about a chain of shunshins."_

_._

_._

_._

_'A chain of shunshins…..'_  The single thought gave birth to an idea, the idea led her to understand the technique she had been stumped on for years. She may have learned Body Flicker from Shisui, but she could never use it like he did. There was always something missing in her technique.

But now… now she found what she has been missing this entire time. She has been looking at it the wrong way.

Shunshin is not about a single step, it's about a sequence of steps that comes one after the other.

**_"Body flicker! Shisui Style!"_**  Sakura exclaimed as she used shunshin after shunshin, leaving behind afterimages that made Kin mistook for the real Sakura as she threw poison coated senbons at them- only to find herself staring at empty air as the afterimages dissolved into nothing.

Her speed turned much,  _much_  faster as she appeared at her teammates side before Zaku could in a flurry of afterimages, leaving him baffled. She crouched down in an attacking stance-  _like a Mama bear protecting it's cubs_ \- and snarled in anger. "Touch them, and  _die."_  She sneered in fury as her mismatched eyes glared at him.

"Goddammit, you're way too persistent!" Zaku snarled in anger as he held out his hands, and a huge wave of air pressure erupted from the tubes in his palm.

**'Reinforcements have arrived.'**  Obito chuckled quietly, startling her.

Sakura blinked her eyes, confused,  _'What reinforcements?'_

The air pressure was about to reach her, when suddenly-

**_"Partial Expansion Jutsu!"_ **

A Giant fist knocked into Zaku, sending him flying.

"What the-?" Kin was startled as a kunai slashed her arm, making her scream in pain.

"How do you like being pierced by a weapon, huh?" a blonde girl said haughtily as she toyed with a blood drenched kunai in her palms.

"Kin! Zaku!" Dosu exclaimed as he moved to rush towards them- but to his horror, his body was stuck to the ground to a shadow, that stretched towards a pre-teen boy with a pony tail, who yawned lazily.

**_"Shadow Possession Jutsu_** , Complete."

Sakura blinked as she mumbled softly, "Choji? Ino? Shikamaru?" She asked, bewildered, "What are you three doing here?"

"Yo, Sakura!" Shikamaru waved his hand lazily as he yawned, "Turns out, we don't do charity, after all."


	22. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- Mentions of dark themes, gore, blood, character deaths and Team Seven's special Brand of luck (because that deserves a category of it's own, XD)
> 
> Read at your own cost.
> 
> P.S. Keep a tissue box next to you, kay? You'll need it.

Naruto panted as he glared at the damn fox caged behind the bars, who was snarling at him in anger and demanding to be released.

"I will  _not-_ " Naruto snarled back fiercely, glaring at the huge orange fox as he made his point. "-release you just so you can destroy everything I hold dear!" He took a deep breath and hissed under his breath, "Besides, you don't have any right to demand anything from me! Do you know how much I've suffered because of you?!" His voice took on a higher pitch as he exclaimed hysterically, "I don't have any family or relatives! Ever since I was born, I have been hated by people- and I never even knew why! People wuld jeer at me, scorn me, would curse me, scream at me, abuse me….. they won't even let me play with their children!" Tears rolled down his cheeks as he sobbed heart wrenchingly. "Why? What wrong did I ever do to them?! Just because of you, I was scorned like I was a Demon's incarnate!"

The nine tailed fox bared his teeth as he slammed against the sealed bars, and roared our angrily,  ** _"SHUT THE HELL UP YOU BRAT! DO YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE SUFFERING?!"_** his red eyes stared at the tiny blonde brat as he snarled fiercely,  ** _"Do you think I asked to be sealed in you?! I am the one who should complain! I was I am the one being forcibly sealed in a pathetic brat like you! What crime did I do to deserve this? Tell me!"_**

Naruto stared at the sealed cage, mute, as the fox's words rang in his mind. That's…. true. He didn't want to admit it, really, but the fox had a point. Why didn't they seal in the fox in him? Just because he rampaged in Konoha twelve years ago?

But why did he do that anyways? Why would the most powerful Bijuu in this world waste his time causing havoc in a shinobi village that shouldn't even matter to him? And even on the off chance the fox's brain had gone bonkers and he wanted to unleash his fury on humankind, wouldn't it be better to rampage in a nearby unsuspecting village instead of travelling to the one village that is said to have seal masters? That's like hitting stone on your own leg!

So why did the fox attack Konoha? Why was he sealed in him?

So many questions, so little answers.

The nine tailed fox glared at the blonde child –snapping him out of his trance- and roared,  ** _"TELL ME, NARUTO UZUMAKI!"_**

Naruto stared down at the muddy water of the sewage tunnel that his mindscape actually was, and mumbled silently, "I don't know, dattebayo."

~O~

Sasuke was falling. He didn't know when he'll reach the bottom of…. whatever it is, but he didn't care. He was too numb after staring at his friends –the only people who he had tentatively managed to get closer to after all these years- getting murdered again and again and  _again_  by Itachi's hands.

Why?

Why does Itachi always take away his loved ones?! What did he ever do to Itachi to torture him in such manner?!

WHY?!

He had seen glimpses of golden eyes and heard reptilian hisses, but he ignored them. They weren't blue or green eyes that he wanted to see, or the teasing voices of his friends. Why should he care about a stupid snake slithering in some corner when his friends were no more?

He was lost in this endless darkness, but he didn't care. There was nothing left for him. His friends weren't even alive anymore, why should he stay alive then?

Revenge? Che, what will avenging them do? Sure, it might calm the burning  _hateangerpainpainpainpaI **NPAINPAIN**_  that he was feeling, but so what? Can it bring back his parents? His family? His friends?

There is nothing left for him. What should he live for? It's better to die and join his loved ones than to keep living and torturing himself to live a life without them.

Sasuke's body turned limp and he closed his numb eyes. He was tired. Oh so tired….

He just wanted to give up.

There wasn't anything left for him anyways….

~O~

Sakura swore there was a God up there and he loved dropping her into stupid messes just for the heck of it. Coz that'd definitely explaining the crappy luck she –and by extension her teammates- had when encountering enemies who – _for some goddamn reason_ -  _always_  turn out to be a B (or higher) ranked threat.

Then again, she had heard Obito curse about Team Seven's luck several times –and even  _Bakakashi_ once grumbled about "Goddamn Team Seven luck strikes again." So… she guessed it wasn't only her and her teammates who had bad luck. The previous Team Sevens' also had the same unfortunate luck.

But still, there's bad luck, and then there is  _bad luck_. Bumping into an unpleasant person or getting scolded for some stupid thing is one thing, but being the target of an enemy who  _literally_ wants you dead and just  _won't stop attacking you_  till he achieves so is on a whole other level of bad luck.

Guess which kind of bad luck she is stuck with, huh?

**'Duck!'**

_'Where?'_  she asked, just for the heck of it – _because honestly, sanity is overrated and she was so done with this shit_. Forgive her for not giving a flying fuck during a potentially life-threatening situation, but it is  _really_  hard to keep a serious look on her face when her enemies now sported horns and wings and mutated arms and legs – _of all the fucking things!_ \- courtesy of some steroid pills that they said were called  **"Cursed Mark Stage 1.5"**

So yeah, forgive her for laughing her ass off when they just  _looked so ridiculous!_

Obito let out a strangling noise –and she doesn't know if she's happy or disappointed that she can't see his expression right now- as he screeched,  **'Is now really the time to be so high on adrenaline, _you freaking moron?!'_**

She paused –and was almost shredded into pieces by Dose's Earth spikes, if not for Kamui at the very last second- and thought helplessly.  _'Oh….. that explains a lot.'_

A giggle escaped out of her lips as she finally realized why she always jumped head first into troublesome situations without thinking, and why fighting stronger opponents made her blood sing at the prospect of a battle-something she hadn't noticed until Obito pointed it out to her just now…..

Shikamaru dodged a blast of air pressure shot towards him by a mutated looking Zaku –whose arm frankly resembled a mixture between an elephant's trunk and a Gorilla's arm (Sakura suppressed the bubbling laughter at that ridiculous thought)- and shot Sakura a disbelieving look, "Did you take some high dosed drugs without us noticing and are high on them right now? 'Coz that's  _so_  unfair." He then threw a kunai behind him at Kin, who had been overbearing Ino and Choji with her senbons, and added as an afterthought, "And troublesome."

"Ah, Sorry Shika," she chuckled as she threw a seal tag towards Dosu's Earth golem, and the explosion that rocked the clearing a second later tore the golem apart in pieces. "I just realized I might be an adrenaline junkie."

Shikamaru, who had been exchanging places with Ino and Choji to deal with a mutated Kin – _who now sported horns and pointed ears_ \- while the other two members of Team Ten dealt with Zaku, halted and shot her a flat look -and while doing so got himself slashed by a stray senbon. "What." He deadpanned.

"That explains  _so_  much." Ino sighed in despair as she used her mind control Jutsu on Zaku while Choji tried to hold him still with his partial expansion jutsu-

-and Zaku broke out of the giant arm holding him with a blast of air pressure after swallowing another red pill as if it were a candy.

_Goddamn steroids._  Ino now has developed a healthy hatred for steroids -and the fight hasn't even reached one hour mark yet!

Choji winced as his hand bled, and backed off a bit. He let Ino handle the enemy for now, while sparing Sakura a glance –who was engaging Dosu in a fight. For all that she looked eager to kick his ass, he noticed some alarming things. Like how the way her hands twitched when she even rested for a second, or how her eyes – _eh, eye… if you count the fact that she was keeping his left eye close to combat with her sharingan (and nope, he did not want to think how the hell she even has a sharingan, because- **No**. just no. That way lays madness.)_ \- darted around without really focusing on anything. Or how her speed was getting slower, and her attacks sluggish. This wasn't just chakra exhaustion, no. This is something else.

Something Choji knows about perfectly well, considering he got this lecture hammered into him by his old man before he had been presented with his clan's secret Chakra pills.

_'Oh, this is bad….'_  Choji mused hysterically, as he called out to his teammates in panic. "Guys, I don't think she is high on adrenaline. It's something even worse-" he dodged a stray hit of Earth boulders that Sakura punched through just now –but stumbled at the last second and in turn only managed to lower the damage, and not escape from the attack unscathed. "-it's chakra poisoning."

Shikamaru cursed under his breath. "How many pills did you take, you troublesome girl?" He asked Sakura while letting the shadows stretch on the ground and connect to the thin shadows of the wires connected to senbons, and in turn controlling them.

Sakura grabbed a punch aimed her way, and winced as she momentarily forgot about the blast of air pressure sent into her arm – _because of course he could do that._   _Why can't the idiots just stay down like good little losers and not get up and be an annoyance like fucking cockroaches?!_  "I don't know," she announced as she punched through Dosu's chest –and the mutated mummy-like guy stumbled a few steps back before getting up. That extra –mutated- protective covering over his chest was annoyingly hard. "I lost count after thirteenth pill."

**'….How the hell haven't you dropped dead yet?!'**  Obito asked in disbelief.

_'You are the one keeping me awake and going by pumping your pure yin chakra in my chakra network.'_  Sakura pointed out.

**'You're so going to feel it later, brat.'** He snickered, and unconsciously activated kamui on Sakura's behalf before she could be pierced by a stray blast of air pressure. Honestly, what the hell were the Yamanaka and Akimichi heirs doing?! Can't they handle a stupid buffy guy by themselves?

_'You have a point…'_  She grimaced as a wave of dizziness danced over her vision. She wasn't as well and dandy as she'd like herself to be. Unlike the Sound team, the Konoha's rookie genins of Team Seven and Ten didn't have steroid pills to force themselves to keep fighting.

Their bodies were exhausted –mentally, physically, and even their chara network was straining under the constant use. They were wounded –bleeding, bruised, and sporting burns that were  _so_  gonna hurt later on- and their limbs ached from constant moving.

They weren't fine. Far from it, actually. Now only some lucky coincidence could stop them from fighting.

And that did happen.  _But not for their side._

A scream tore through Ino's lips, snapping the other three out of their trances, and the momentary loss of focus was enough for Zaku and Dosu to get Shikamaru, Choji and Sakura a grave wound. The two of them barely registered their bleeding limbs, as they stared at Ino in horror, who was now in firm grasp of Kin.

Kin pieced the senbon warningly into Ino's neck lightly, drawing a thin line of blood as the blonde whimpered. The dark haired sound genin smirked as she ordered, "Move even a little bit, and she dies." To demonstrate the veracity of her statement, she trailed a pointy end of the senbon over Ino's arm, making it bleed. "This wound isn't fatal," Kin said coyly, "But the next one will be."

Sakura, Choji and Shikamaru immediately held their hands up in surrender, eying Ino, whose pupil-less blue eyes teared up in pain. Kin then eyed her two teammates and barked out, "We've dragged this for too long. Complete the task we were meant to do, and then let's head back!"

"Che, look at you- acting so high and mighty-" Zaku grumbled as the dark black markings and mutated limbs on his body receded, into the three comma pattern around his neck.

"Zaku." Dosu said warningly as he too turned to normal as he deactivated his curse mark as well as suppressed the effect of the prototype pills for achieving the second stage. "Get to it."

"Yeah, yeah." Zaku hissed, and then smirked as he eyed the three genins who stood still –afraid of getting their fellow  _comradeacquaintancecompanionfriend_  hurt- and cracked his knuckles as he said, "But let me teach these brats a lesson first."

Ino's eyes teared up as she watched her friends getting hurt –none of them fought back against Zaku as he smashed his fists into their bodies, making them whimper or flinch in pain. She hated watching them get hurt –and it was all because of her. If only she was stronger, she wouldn't have gotten caught and taken as hostage….. then her friends wouldn't be suffering right now…..

Zaku slammed his feet into Shikamaru's back, making the Nara boy cough up blood as he could feel his ribs crack.

"Have you had enough?" Dosu asked exasperatingly. "We need to kill the Uchiha boy," he then paused and pointed at the limp, bleeding body of Sakura lying in a twitching mess next to Shikamaru and Choji's unconscious bodies. "-and her right eye too, of course. We can't forget that."

"Che," Zaku mumbled as he stomped on Choji one last time, and then grabbed Sakura's head and forced her up. The pink haired girl was almost unconscious by now, her mismatched eyes –one green, one red- barely kept open. His large hands dwarfed Sakura's head, and gripped her head firmly. "Kin, you get her eye out." He said as he tightened his hold on Sakura's skull.

"With pleasure." Kin smirked as she pierced a senbon into Ino's neck, making the girl fall limp on the ground. She then made her way towards Sakura.

**'Sakura…'**  Obito's voice whispered urgently.

No response.

**'This is seriously not the time to be semi-conscious, Goddammit!'**

Dosu sighed. "Well then, I'll deal with the Uchiha." He then mumbled under his breath. "It shouldn't be too hard, considering he is already knocked out."

**'Sakura, wake up!'**  Obito's voice pleaded.  **'Either you take some action, or at least let me take over!'**

There was no reply, except-

_'….-tired….'_

An incoherent thought rang around Sakura's mindscape.

Obito yelled.  **'Sakura?!'**  he tried harder to hear her thoughts, which was getting harder, considering she was in a semi-conscious state. This hasn't happened before. Sure, there was one time when Sakura  _literally_  let Obito take over, but something like this –where she was tired enough to lose control of her limbs, but conscious enough to control her mental capabilities- hasn't happened before. He was so out of his depth that he didn't know what to do **. 'I know you're tired, Sakura, but…'**  he cooed at her in a soothing tone, as if coaxing a child to hand back the cookie they stole from the jar –except, what he wanted form her is much,  _much_  harder to get than a cookie. He is asking her to willingly give the control of her body to him which has only happened once in the past-

-on the night when Shisui tried to committed suicide.

**'Let me out, Sakura.'**  Obito said firmly.  **'Let me out, and I promise, I will keep them safe.'**

_'…..don't wanna fight anymore…'_  A feeble voice whimpered.

**'Are you going to let your friends die, then?'** Obito asked sharply –desperately- as he sensed Kin nearing Sakura's limp body, while Dosu's chakra signature was close to Naruto and Sasuke's dormant ones –too close for his liking. Sakura had to let him out now, or else-

-it would be a repeat of the former Team Seven.

**'Can you watch them die before your eyes? Can you really watch them suffer after what happened with Shisui?'**

Something stirred inside Sakura at that name.  _No- she couldn't-_

Her thoughts were interrupted as warm fingers slid across her cheek, gently touching the pink lashes of her right eye.

"Sorry sweetheart," Kin's voice sounded above her as her head was roughly lifted by Zaku's large hands that grabbed her skull tightly in it's grasp. "it's gonna hurt a little." Kin cooed mockingly, and Obito bristled. "Though in my defense, your right eye really is precious and worthy –for Lord Orochimaru, that is."

Kin's fingers that hovered above her right eye plunged into her skin and then-

-her world exploded in  _pain._

* * *

_painpainpainpainpainpainpAINPAINPAINPAINPAIN-_

_It hurtshurtshurtshurtshurtshurtshurts-_

_She felt as if she was forcefully plunged underwater-the cold water biting into her skin and her eye- oh her right eye…._

_It hurts!_

_She barely heard Obito's frantic voice trying to calm her down-or his **scream**  as the spiritual connection between them –that had cemented into a physical one in form of the sharingan spinning in her right eye- was suddenly torn apart as her right eye was viciously ripped out of her socket-_

_-and she couldn't hear Obito anymore._

_She was cold, she was underwater, she was hurt, she was all alone in this strange silent darkness that surrounded her-_

_And all she wanted was the familiar warmth of her friends –her loved ones- to surround her, and not this cold, biting darkness. All she wanted was to hear laughter or bickering of Naruto and Sasuke; snide comments from her Inner, and exasperated sighs of Bakakashi…_

_For once, she didn't want to be the Hero… she didn't want to be the only one who vowed to never abandon their comrades…. She didn't want to help anyone…_

_All she wanted at this moment was to be rescued…. To be lent a helping hand-_

_-to be the comrade that needs saving._

_Is there no one who can hear her? Is there no one who can save her?_

_Someone, please make it stop! Make the pain go away!_

_Make it stop hurting!_

_Someone, please-_

**_"SAVE ME!"_ **

~O~

The water beneath his feet rippled, and Naruto's head snapped up at the voice that shook his very core. Was that-

"Sakura?" he whispered in horror as the desperate, helpless scream tore through the haze filling in his mind, as a feeling of dread settled in his gut.

Something is wrong. Sakura is strong, she will never scream for help unless-

Naruto stared at the great nine tailed fox that was caged inside the seal –the huge, golden bars preventing him from escaping, and took a decision that would forever change his life. Clenching his fists, gritting his teeth, he looked at the fox behind the bars, and said, "You said you wanted freedom, right? I will help you achieve your freedom."

**_"Oh?"_**  the fox asked, amused, as he bared his teeth to the pre-teen, trying to scare him. However, the blonde boy never reacted. He just stood tall, his blue eyes blazing with fierce determination, and the nine tailed fox was suddenly reminded of a similar blonde human who had the gall to seal him inside this same boy.  ** _"I suppose the offer isn't free of charge."_**  He grumbled.

"What you want is freedom," Naruto admitted as he walked nearer to the sealed cage inside the sewer –his mindscape. "And what I want is the power to protect my friends." Naruto said calmly. "Let's do an equivalent exchange, then. I will find a way to set you free, and you help me protect my friends." His lips quirked up in a grin –a grin so sharp and foxy that the Nine tails was momentarily reminded of his previous red headed jinchuriki. "That is a good enough deal, don't you think, dattebayo?"

**_"How can I trust you to keep your end of the deal?"_** The nine tailed fox, eyed the tiny human and snorted.  ** _"Besides, even if you fulfill your end of the bargain, who says I will complete mine? Aren't you afraid that I will back out of the deal when you do your part?"_**

"You won't." Naruto said as his bright blue eyes burned with conviction, and the nine tailed bijuu was taken aback. The blonde boy tilted his head, and asked, "Don't you have your  _pride_ , dattebayo?"

**_"….fine."_**  the fox grumbled as he huffed and turned his head away.  ** _"You have a deal, brat."_**

~O~

The darkness surrounding him ripped apart in pieces, leaving only the echoes of a scream behind.

"Sakura!" he shouted as he struggled against the invisible chains binding him.

What the hell was he doing here, moping around when his  _teammatecompanionfriendfamily_  needed him?! Didn't he promise himself he won't let any harm come to the last member of his family?! So why the hell was he wallowing in self-pity when Sakura was crying for help?!

_Unacceptable._

**"UNACCEPTABLE!"**

~O~

Dosu grumbled as he walked nearer to the two unconscious boys, inwardly cursing Kin for not sedating the brat before taking the eye. He guessed she was feeling quite vindictive, considering all the brat had made them suffer through, it wasn't really surprising. Hell, he would have done the same if he was in her position!

….he could do without the pathetic screams though.  _Too noisy._

Too caught up in his thoughts –with the pink haired brat's screams in the background that were nothing less than music to his ears- he failed to notice when the two pairs of red eyes –one pair spinning with pinwheel pattern of the mangekyo, and the other pair a crimson shade of red (just like blood)- snapped open.

He could only choke out a gasped "Wha-" before pain exploded from his chest. He glanced down, and watched in morbid horror a hand was pierced into his chest –clawed fingers clutching his still beating heart delicately –

He looked up and noticed a pair of crimson – _blood red_ \- eyes staring malevolently at him, the whisker marks were more prominent, as well as the demonic grin on the blonde's pre-teen face, who was doused in orange chakra from top to bottom.

**"Sorry,"**  the demon  _purred_ ,  **"but you made Sakura-chan cry,"**  he then tilted his head and hissed,  **"-and that is _unacceptable."_**

He choked in his own blood and gurgled in pain the clawed fingers pierced into his heart, crushing it effectively-

-and Dosu's world darkened.

* * *

Kin grinned as she placed the eye ball delicately into a container containing preserving fluids-something Kabuto had assured her would preserve any body tissue or organ without the fear of it rotting or getting infected. She ignored the limp body of the girl in Zaku's grasp, her right, empty socket bleeding heavily- tainting her cheeks and lips red. Her left eye –a pretty shade of green- stared dully at everything and nothing at once. She looked like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

_How amusing._

"Well, one part of our mission is completed." Kin mused. "Dosu should have done his part by now too."

"Yeah." Zaku grumbled as he released the brat from his hold, letting her body fall limp on the ground. "Where is he by the-" He said as he turned towards her, but he choked and his eyes suddenly widened in horror.

Kin raised her brow at his extreme reaction. "Hey, what has gotten into you?"

"B-Behind you-" Zaku stuttered as his face turned pale, and his body trembled in terror.

Kin stared at him incredulously. What the hell is he suddenly so scared of? Shrugging she turned around and before she could even react-

-a hand was clamped around her throat.

She choked as she clawed at the hands holding her – _but to no avail._

Her dark eyes stared at the monster before her, making her hands tremble in fear. The monster's eyes were a demonic red, spinning with a complicated pattern. His skin was pale, marred by black patterns that had erupted from the cursed seal over his neck, which she vaguely recognized as Cursed Mark Stage One.

This monster… she recognized him. This was one of their targets- Sasuke Uchiha.

_'I'm going to die…..'_  Kin whimpered as the hold around her throat tightened, and soon, a soundless scream tore through her lips as the boy crushed her throat.

"W-Why…." She mouthed weakly, unable to form words properly –courtesy of her crushed voice box- as the boy dropped her- as if she was a filthy doll.

**_"You hurt her."_**  He answered gruffly.  ** _"You deserve death."_**

His right eye glowing a deep red as he activated the famed Dojutsu of his clan, and Kin was burned alive in the black flames that represented the Uchiha boy's hatred and heartache.

**_"Amaterasu!"_ **

* * *

Zaku took a step back as he watched Kin's body crumble into dust before his very eyes. He- He needed to escape-  _right now._

Or else he –too- will die, just like Kin. And probably Dosu too.

Oh kami, how had things turned out this way? Everything was going fine! They had the precious sharingan eye of the girl, and the only thing remaining was for Dosu to kill the Uchiha brat and their mission would be over. And then-

-And then this monster appeared and everything went to hell!

He didn't want to end like Kin –hell no!-even if it means facing Lord Orochimaru's wrath, being experimented on again, and facing Kimimaru and Juugo as his punishment. But that would be better than facing this-  _this monster!_

The monster's eyes glanced at him and-  _wait_ , those eyes are not looking at him. Instead, they are looking-

-Behind him?

_What?_

**"How dare you….."**  A voice whispered from behind him.

A distorted, hoarse voice. That sounded like a female's voice, but suspiciously,  _wasn't._

**"You touched what's mine…"**  the voice whispered just behind him, and a dainty hand wrapped around his head, and the other one grabbed his shoulder firmly.  **"You took her away from me….."**

He couldn't even move, the bloodlust emitting from the person behind him was too much to handle. He broke into cold sweat, and his limbs trembled in fear. Black spots danced around his vision, and for the hundredth time today, he cursed the fact that he was assigned to this mission.

There was a monster standing before him, and a devil behind him. He is going to die one way or another, isn't he?

"W-Who-" he gulped in terror. "Who a-are you?"

The crimson eyed monster standing before him curiously eyed the person clutching Zaku in their grasp. Her short, pink hair was caked in dirt and blood, and clung to her face. Her orange goggles were cracked, her blue jacket and undershirt and shorts were in tatters, and barely held together. Her headband had slipped somewhere during the battle, and was now lying innocently some distance away from her. The right side of her face was covered with blood, dripping from the empty right eye socket. In her left eye socket gleaming a darkened green eye –a shade of green so dark that it almost resembled obsidian- and as if that wasn't abnormal enough-

There were shadows wrapped around the right side of her body- as if they were one second away from melting in darkness.

**"My name is Obito Uchiha,"**  The person behind Zaku answered dully **. "-and I do not like anyone touching what's mine."**

Zaku felt the grip around his head and shoulder tighten, and the person behind him whispered-

**"Now, _DIE!"_**

-and suddenly, his head was ripped apart from his body, and he knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, that happened. Kin, Zaku and Dosu died by Team Seven's hands. Naruto makes a deal with Kurama. Sasuke meets Obito face to face -sorta. and Sakura slipped into... well, you'll find out in the next chapter.
> 
> (Oh, and while all that happened, Team Ten was knocked unconscious. Am I the only one who is eagerly waiting for Shikamaru's reaction to this chaos?)
> 
> We are nearing the end of the Forest of death arc. the only reason it was extended was because it was necessary for character growth. Shikamaru needed an early wake up call. Ino had to face the truth of her combat capabilities before it comes to bite in her ass later. Choji needed to understand the effect of chakra pills by his own eyes -which is definitely gonna come in handy later on. Sasuke and Naruto had to confront their own demons, as well as meet Obito.
> 
> And of course, Obito needed to come clean to Sakura about his past.
> 
> I regret nothing.
> 
> Hope you all are as excited as me for the next chapter. There's gonna be fluff -lots of it- while some Team bonding moments while we're at it.
> 
> Enjoy the madness, everyone. You have now crossed the line to insanity.
> 
> Welcome to the Dark side. *cue evil cackling and drum rolls*


	23. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the aftermath........

_( **Time** \- T minus 72 hours before the end of Second Phase)_

Team Ten stumbled into the Center Tower of the Forest of Death, covered in cuts and bruises, and bandages peeking from beneath their clothes. They had survived the second task and had made it to the tower on the morning of the third day. They would've been happy about passing the second test, if it weren't for the fact that they had been through hell to reach here.

If it had only been the nightmarish creatures of Forest of death as well as the usual combat situations that one would expect during a survival test, then Team Ten wouldn't be questioning their sanity after this whole ordeal. But honestly, between being outsmarted by Sakura to helping out Team Seven against mutant hostile shinobis –and getting beaten by them too- and then one of them was taken as a hostage and then they were knocked out. And if they had thought that everything would make sense when they wake up, then they were dead wrong. When they woke up from their unplanned nap, they had found themselves staring at Team Seven huddled in a corner –Naruto and Sasuke fretting around an exasperated, bandaged-like-a-mummy Sakura (he really wondered if he was hit in the head hard enough to actually see right half of Sakura's body engulfed in shadows –or was it actually real and some sort of side effect of a jutsu gone wrong?)- who were ignoring the dead bodies of their hostile enemies on the ground with practiced ease. It was a little disturbing sight for Team Ten, and they would have felt unsettled by it, if not for the fact that they had to deal with an overly protective Naruto and 'medic-mode' Sasuke the next moment.

So yeah, forgive them for not being too enthused over passing the second stage of the Chunin Exams when they've been literally been through hell and back.

Especially when they had to deal with the likes of a passive-aggressive Naruto and "I''m-so-done-with-this-shit" Sasuke right after that…

_._

_._

_._

_Naruto walked towards Team Ten carrying a medical kit while they were watching Sasuke mutter curses under his breath-some that made Ino blush in embarrassment and horror- while his glowing green hands tried to heal Sakura's overly damaged body that was covered in bandages that peaked from beneath her tattered clothes. It was quite unusual to watch the antisocial Uchiha –who had never even looked at them in acknowledgement even once when they were in the Academy- worrying over his teammate's health and acting like a mother hen in general._

_"Is it just me or Sasuke really is acting like a mother hen?" Choji asked distractedly, too engrossed in the strange scene unfolding before him to even eat something like he usually would._

_"In that case we're having the same dream, Choji." Shikamaru said dryly._

_Ino stuttered, "I never thought I'd actually see the day when Sasuke would be so….. so-"_

_"-Social?" Naruto offered and then chuckled sheepishly when their eyes fell on him. "Yeah, I know what you mean, dattebayo. But then again, anyone who had been through what we had been through these past months would've mellowed out too."_

_Team Ten shared a look. They didn't know what to say anymore. Should they be horrified over the fact that Sasuke is being social, or disturbed seeing Naruto actually speaking something sensible for once in his life._

_Naruto placed the medical kit he was carrying next to them and said, "Why don't you guys start explaining what had actually happened for Sakura to end up in this state-" he then eyed their battered forms and added on, "-and you all to be so deeply wounded, while I bandage your wounds?" he then said apologetically, "Teme would normally heal you with Healing jutsu but considering Sakura's condition is quite grave, she is our first priority so it isn't possible."_

_Ino sighed. "Can't argue with that."_

_Choji nodded. "Yeah."_

_Shikamaru mumbled as he leaned against the rock and stared up at the stars twinkling in the night sky, "Fair enough. Besides, we're still in the middle of Exams. It makes sense you would prioritize your own teammates over others, even if we are from the same village."_

_Naruto shot him a grateful look and opened the medic kit and set to work. Choji started explaining to Naruto how they had tailed Sakura when she was in the woods –collecting herbs and all- and confronted her, while Naruto started bandaging Ino's wounds first –she was the least injured- and it didn't take long before he was done, after which he only handed her Blood pills and chakra pills and moved on to Choji._

_Choji talked about how Sakura defeated them, and then handed them the scrolls and left. He said how they followed her, and found her tending to her two teammates. Naruto's only response to that statement was a minute pause –before he continued cleaning Choji's wounds with a swab of alcohol, and bandaging them._

_When Choji's voice started turning hoarse, Shikamaru took over the explanation and tiredly spoke about how they saw the Sound team attack and how Sakura valiantly fought them off for hours. Sasuke came towards them somewhere in between his explanation, and took another roll of bandages and bottle of alcohol and medicinal salves and started on Shikamaru while Naruto worked on Choji. Shikamaru just winced a bit when Sasuke wiped his bleeding forehead clean –the blood has now dried around his head- and kept on speaking about how the team from Sound took some unknown pills –getting a momentary boost in power- and overwhelmed Sakura, during which they intercepted the fight. He then spoke about how they kept up with the other team, until they had another power boost thanks to a suspicious pill._

_Ino then took over the conversation, and spoke in a shaky voice about how she got captured by the female genin of the Sound team, and how her friends got injured for her sake, and were knocked unconscious. She trembled as she then spoke about how the Sound genin talked about killing Sasuke and taking Sakura's right eye, after which she was promptly knocked unconscious._

_A tense silence surrounded them as the five genin stared morosely at the ground, unable to look into each other's eyes. The silence reigned over for a few minutes, before it was broken by Naruto's sigh._

_"Teme and I were jolted out of our unconscious state when we heard Sakura's scream." Naruto supplied as he continued on the conversation. He didn't actually want to tell them about Orochimaru or about what had happened when they were knocked unconscious, but he had to. They deserved to know the full story. Not about Orochimaru –_ _because damn that's something concerning Team Seven and it should not be told to them –maybe they will tell them in future (if the need arises) but not now. But about the Sound genin….. yeah, they deserve to know. After all, they were the ones who helped Sakura when she was all alone._ _"We woke up, and noticed one of them hovering over us –it was the mummy like guy-" he explained when they shot him a confused look, "-and he didn't look friendly at all, dattebayo –especially with the Earth fist jutsu he was using to cover his hands with spiky rocks. We didn't even need to speak to understand the situation, and I moved to kill the guy, while Sasuke escaped from his grasp and body flickered towards Sakura."_

_Ignoring the sharp inhales the members of Team Ten took, he gestured to Sasuke and started explaining his part –because teme sure as hell doesn't like to speak to people who are not a part of Team seven, he was just grouchy like that- "teme took out the girl, but was a bit late as the girl had already got what they wanted. After that, we killed the other guy too." A lie, but then again, it wasn't really a lie when they actually hadn't mentioned who we actually includes. It doesn't matter who they think killed the third guy. As long as they don't look at Sakura with disturbing looks that they are shooting him and teme with, he can deal with it. Sakura is already going through a tough time, she wouldn't want her friends to treat her as if she were a monster. Sasuke didn't care what others thought, and Naruto…. Well, he has already been treated like a monster by most people for the last thirteen years in his life, it won't matter if there were three more people added on the list. It is quite disappointing though, since he always thought of them as -sorta?- friends._

_Sasuke squeezed his arm lightly, making him snap out of his trance and shot him a grateful look. Ino, Choji and Shikamaru shared a look and the sudden silence was once again broken –though this time by Ino's shaky voice-_

_"They took her eye, didn't they?" Her lower lip trembled as her light blue eyes welled up with tears of guilt and horror. "That is why her right eye is bandages, right?"_

_Naruto pursued his lips in a thin line, while Sasuke grimaced. Their silence spoke enough._

_Choji grimaced as he dropped his bag of chips to the side, not in a mood to eat anything, while Shikamaru muttered curses under his breath. Tears rolled down Ino's cheeks and she whimpered-_

_"It's all my fault!" she cried out. "If only I hadn't got caught-"_

_"It wasn't your fault, Ino." Choji cut her off- uneasily but firmly. "Maybe if I had hit hard enough, then at least that Zaku guy would've stayed down."_

_"Choji, no-" Ino protested, only to be interrupted by Shikamaru._

_"We should have been better prepared- we shouldn't have underestimated them." Shikamaru rubbed his temple and groaned._

_"But-"_

_"Okay, shut it!" Sasuke snapped, making everyone click their mouth shut. "If we're really playing the blame game, then the fault should be ours," Sasuke gestured towards him and Naruto, "since we weren't conscious when Sakura really needed us at the time of our need. If even one of us had been awake at that time, she wouldn't even have needed your help." Sasuke pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone, and team ten bristled at his implications._

_"Are you trying to say you could've done better than us?!" Ino –for once forgone her crush on Sasuke-and argued against his arrogant remarks._

_Naruto held his hands up in surrender. "No offense, but what teme said is true. Case in point, we offed the Sound Team the moment we wake up, while you couldn't even defeat them after struggling for hours."_

_"You just got lucky." Choji grumbled under his breath._

_Sasuke snorted. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."_

_Choji glared at the Uchiha and was about to retort something, but was interrupted by Shikamaru._

_"Not that I am not by the fascinating turn our conversation has ended up by now," Shikamaru cut the argument off with his sharp words and narrow eyes. "but we need to talk about something more important." He eyed the male members of Team Seven –especially Sasuke-and spoke, "Like how Sakura has sharingan and how –and why- we weren't informed. And I'm guessing the higher ups don't know that too, or else there would've been rumors about another Uchiha among shinobi ranks."_

_A thick aura escaped from the two conscious members of Team Seven, choking the three of them- and Shikamaru only belatedly realized that it wasn't actually aura. It was Killing Intent- and very potent too._

'Holy crap,'  _he thought as he gasped for air. '_ That is some potent bloodlust!'

_Sasuke was glaring at the three of them with the three tomoes of his sharingan spinning in his eyes, while Naruto's eyes narrowed in a sharp glare at them –and is it their imagination or did his eyes also flash red?_

_"Well," Naruto purred, and suddenly a shiver of terror ran down their spine , because holy shit Naruto –the goofy, orange loving menace- can be intimidating when he wants! "Since Shikamaru has oh-so-smartly pointed out such an important thing, you should understand that you can't speak about that fact carelessly, right?" He tilted his head to the side and said with what could have been an innocent smile if his eyes were glaring menacingly at them. "Because if you do, you'll have every single member of Team Seven after your sorry ass –even our Jonin sensei- and believe me, you definitely don't want that." And wasn't that true, considering Kakashi-sensei adores Sakura to a frightening degree, and would do anything for her safety. Naruto and Sasuke themselves weren't that far off from that point though. They too would rather burn the whole world before it could hurt her._

_"the Higher ups don't know," Sasuke admitted, before giving them the famous Uchiha death glare –with sharingan and all- "and they certainly won't get that information from anyone of you. Capisce?"_

_The three of them nodded frantically._

_"Good, now that we are done having our talk, why don't you just get lost?" Sasuke glowered at them, and Team Ten scrambled up and gathered their weapon pouches and took off before the glowering Uchiha –and even the goofy orange jumpsuit wearing idiot (who is less goofy or idiot and more terrifying)- decide to change their mind and torture them some more for some unholy reason._

_While they were busy running away from the two monsters –_ demons, the fucking lot of them! _\- Naruto called out from behind them, "By the way, do you mind telling Kakashi-Sensei that we sorta got lost on the Road of Life? He'll understand, I swear dattebayo!"_

_._

_._

_._

"So, what now?" Ino's question snapped Shikamaru out of his trance and the Nara tiredly looked around the room, and saw a huge wooden board hanging on the opposite wall, with a riddle written on it. He read the words, and a thought crossed his mind.

"the scrolls," he said dryly. "We can open them now."

"Are you sure?" Ino asked dubiously.

Shikamaru yawned tiredly. "Yes, you troublesome woman." He grumbled.

Ino and Choji shared a look, and then after a while, they shrugged and did as they were told. The two of them opened the two scrolls- Heaven and earth- together, and threw them on the ground when smoke started pouring out of them.

"Is it some sort of prank?!" Ino hissed angrily.

Shikamaru glanced at her and answered, "No, it's a summoning scroll. I guess this is why we were told not to open in anytime during the exam, because if we had, chances are we would've been knocked out by the person who would've been summoned by the scroll. Right, Kotetsu Hagane?"

The spiky haired chunin sighed in exasperation as soon as the smoke cleared and revealed his face. Shikamaru knew about this chunin –met him actually quite a few times (usually when he was with his partner Izumo Kamizuki on guard duty –or assisting his father with some paperwork related to Chunin Corps- things like that….).

"Yeah, that's correct." Kotetsu answered as he eyed the bandages peeking from beneath their –tattered- clothes and raised an eyebrow in question. "No offense brats, but you look like hell."

"None taken." Choji shrugged.

"We feel like hell too." Ino moaned as she tiredly leaned against Shikamaru –who almost stumbled face first on the ground considering he was just barely managed to stay standing on the ground, and shot Ino an annoyed look. Ino was too exhausted to screech at him for his rudeness.

"So, we passed, right?" Shikamaru asked the chunin.

Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah."

"Good, then let's go home." Shikamaru grumbled. "I have had enough of this troublesome exam."

"I agree." Choji mumbled.

"Roger that." Ino said as she rubbed her temple.

"Hold on!" Kotetsu exclaimed incredulously as Asuma's team started walking away. "You can't just go home now, those who have passed the second stage are asked to stay in the Tower –get some rest, heal your wounds , you know the deal- and stay until the Second Stage is over." The three genin looked at him in irritation –mostly because he was telling them to stay in this stupid tower when all they wanted was to hide in their homes and not come out until the world starts making sense. "The number of genins that passed this stage has exceeded our expectations, and hence it is being speculated that you might have to fight a Preliminary Round as soon as the second stage is officially over."

"Joy." Shikamaru's voice was as dry as the deserts of Suna.

"You know, I'm really regretting participating in these exams." Ino mumbled morosely.

"I know what you mean." Choji said sympathetically as he patted her back lightly.

The three of them sighed in unison. It's going to be a  _long_  day.

* * *

They had been resting in the Medic's room after being ushered in here by Kotetsu, -who then disappeared away to inform Team Ten's Jonin Sensei about their arrival- when the doors of the room were slammed open and in came four pre-teens –three of them they recognized as the memebers of Team eight, and the fourth one happened to be a teal haired girl who looked way too cheerful than a normal human being should be.

"Oh look, it's the idiot trio." Kiba snickered as he neared them, only for the grin on his face to be replaced with a look of shock when he noticed the bandages peeking from beneath their clothes, as well as their ragged state. "Oh shit, you guys look like shit-" he paused and then mumbled sheepishly, "-no offense."

"None taken." Choji said with a grimace as he gulped down a particularly nasty medical concoction.

"Looks like you had quite a difficult time in the Forest of Death." Shino stated in a matter of fact tone, and his brow raised in intrigue when the three of them shivered in terror.

"You can say that." Ino said uneasily.

Shikamaru's eyed the teal haired girl bouncing around Hinata and asked, "Hey, who's that?"

Hinata smiled a small smile and introduced her new friend, "U-Um, t-this is Fuu, f-from H-Hidden Waterfall V-V-Village. S-she is m-m-my new f-f-friend."

The girl –Fuu- beamed at Hinata's words, and Shikamaru was almost reminded of Naruto's bright grins.  _Huh. There are two of them?!_

An image of narrowed blue eyes and not-so-subtle threats ran through his mind and he shivered. Hopefully, this one is not as crazy as him.

"Hello!" the girl chirped happily. "like Hina-chan said, I'm Fuu! Would you like being my friends, tsu?!"

Ino was about to make some rude comment –because honestly, all three of them were tired, worn out and had no tolerance to indulge some foreign shinobi-but a sharp glance from Hinata's Byaakugan – _holy hell, when did she even activate them?!_ \- made her shut her mouth quicker than Naruto can exclaim "Ramen!" Shikamaru cleared his throat and –just so Hinata could stop glaring at Ino- said with a wry smile, "I am Shikamaru Nara, and these two troublesome people-" he pointed at his teammates that were lying on the beds next to him, and continued on, "-are my teammates- Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi."

Ino nodded stiffly at her, while Choji gave the odd girl a small smile and a wave.

"Oh wow!" Fuu gasped. "Hina-chan, you were right, tsu! Your friends are  _really_  nice!"

Hinata's smile turned a bit sincere at Fuu's words. "I-I know, right?" Her eyes – _and when did she deactivate her Byaakugan?!_ \- were filled with fond exasperation as she glanced at the girl next to her.

"Okay, enough of your chit-chat!" Kiba hollered, and Akamaru –who poked his head out from Kiba's jacket- barked at them in greeting, to which the three of them smiled. Kiba then turned towards them and asked, "what I want to know is, who did all this to you?!" he gestured towards the blood soaked bandages on their person, "because even though I know you guys are wimps-" Cue triple glares from the members of Team Ten, but Kiba-being the dense idiot he is- didn't even notice and continued on, "-you aren't  _that_  bad, and honestly, surviving the Forest of Death wasn't  _that_  difficult."

Shikamaru, Ino and Choji shared a look. In the end, Ino sighed and mumbled, "We had a run in with Team Seven, and well…." She chuckled bitterly, "the rest, let's just say, is history."

Cue a two minute silence. And then, the four genins surrounding them exclaimed in unison,

"Huh?!"

* * *

_( **Time** \- T minus 69 hours before the end of Second Phase)_

He opened his eyes –eh, eye- and winced at the sudden brightness that assaulted him. It took him a minute to get adjusted to the sudden bright sunlight of the noon, and when he did that, it became easier to  _see_. Though it really was strange to watch and feel everything first hand, and instead of being a spectator and sensing dully –since every sense (touch, vision, hearing, taste) that reached him usually had to go through many physical layers of her body, and by the time it reached him it would always wash out. For the last twelve years, the only thing he had of his own was chakra –and his thoughts and own feelings, but well….. they don't count in this case.

To actually see, touch, hear and taste firsthand, well….. this certainly is an interesting experience. It was as if he had been underwater for too long and has only now been to surface. Everything was just so bright, and warm and amazing-

- _aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand_  the pain was back. Tch, party pooper. The only downside to get his own senses working full time was the pain that he could feel all over his body-  _and holy hell does everything hurt!_  His limbs felt as if they've been tied with the taijutsu weights that  _Gai_ used for daily training; his chakra felt sluggish and so,  _so_  strained; the wounds and bruises on his body actually stung- and why the hell is his head hurting so much?!

And as if that wasn't enough, his right socket was painfully throbbing which belatedly reminded him that he was short one eye, and the sheer chill that now settled in his – _her? He really didn't know how this shit works_ \- mindscape made him shiver with dread.

 _'Sakura…'_  he thought mournfully about the person that has kept him company for the last twelve years- _who was now gone._

He was snapped out of his sullen thoughts when something was pressed against his lips and a cool liquid slid down his throat, quenching his thirst that he hadn't even noticed due to his ~~brooding~~ thinking. He gulped it down desperately, and whimpered pitifully when it was moved away from him –only to sigh in relief and gulp down more of the cold liquid –water- greedily when it was once again pressed against his lips.

He opened his eye – the stinging pain in his right socket reminded him of the fact that his right socket was devoid of it's eyeball- and blinked a few times –when had he even closed them again- and stared at a mop of blonde hair and blue eyes and his breathing hitched-

 **"Minato-sensei?"**  he croaked out hoarsely, placing a trembling hand on the cheek of the blurry faced blonde guy.

"Easy there…" A –familiar-voice coaxed at him in a soothing tone, as he helped him lie against the make-shift bed of leaves and sticks in a comfortable position. "Teme said your vision will be disori- disonti- funky, yeah, let's go with that- for some time, dattebayo."

_Dattebayo?_

**"…Naruto?"**  he whispered, almost afraid of the reply.

"Yeah?" was the answer.

Obito ignored the hollow feeling creeping in his chest, or the way his heart stung in disappointment at the fact that it wasn't Minato sensei…

But then again, he shouldn't expect him to be Minato-sensei… Especially after what  _he_  had done-

Shaking his head as if to get rid of such stupid thoughts, he blinked his darkened green eye and glanced around. They were in some sort of make-shift hideout –going by the wooden chamber they were in, it almost seems like they were resting in a hollow tree trunk that is big enough for them to huddle together (not a surprise, since Forest of Death has some scarily wide trees big enough to dwarf even Gamabunta –and that's saying something since that toad is  _huge_ ). Naruto was next to him, collecting dried leaves and sticks and making makeshift sleeping bags with them. However Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

 **"Where's…."**  he trailed off, unable to complete his statement as Naruto's piercing  _blueblueblueblueblueblue_  eyes stared right through him – _and he felt as if he was being judged, or something. Silly, right?_

The blonde then smiled at him reassuringly and said chirpily – _his eyes were still cold..….. Why?_ \- "Sasuke-teme is on patrol duty. He said he will find some herbs for medicines during the patrol. Oh, and that reminds me-" Naruto pulled out a small vial from his weapon's pouch and handed it to him, "teme asked me to give it to as soon as you wake up." He then grimaced as if remembering something horrible, "Tastes like shit, but I assure you, it works well enough."

Obito shot him an amused glance and mumbled,  **"Ah, I guess he treated you like a guinea pig?"**

Naruto made a face. "Obviously."

He chuckled. It wasn't a secret among the members of Team Seven about Sasuke's medicine concocting talents –or lack thereof. How could he actually turn a perfect medicinal pill into a poisonous concoction –Obito had no idea.

Obito took the offered vial and swallowed it's contents down without any protest. He grimaced as the foul taste exploded on his tongue –and he would've definitely retched the stupid thing out if not for Naruto firmly clamping his mouth shut. Obito struggled and glared at Naruto to release him, but to no avail. In the end, Obito just had to swallow it down, and gratefully chomped on a sweet wild berry Naruto offered as soon as he swallowed that _\- that thing_  down his throat.

 **"Oh fuck,"**  he moaned in a tortured tone,  **"That thing was _disgusting_. Is Sasuke trying to kill me?!"**

"Not for now, I suppose…." A clipped tone snapped him out of his 'woe-is-me' rant he had been spewing mentally and glanced up at the newly arrived Sasuke Uchiha –with bandages peeking through his tattered clothes- who was glowering at him.

Obito winced as he recognized the utter cold fury and loathing in the Uchiha boy's eyes. He quickly averted his eyes from the dark haired boy, only to let them fall on Naruto, who's eyes –for once- were devoid of any cheer. The normally bright eyes of the blonde boy were now filled with apathy and steel as they were narrowed on Obito. There was something…  _sinister_  lurking beneath those blue irises, and Obito had a feeling that if he messed it now, there will be  _consequences._

Hastily averting his eyes from Naruto, he glanced back at Sasuke with a face devoid of any emotions –though his heart hammering in his chest as well as his clammy hands spoke of his nervousness.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he walked forward with the grace of a sociopath and soon he crouched down before Obito's limp form and mumbled in a cold tone, "but I can't guarantee your life if you don't answer my questions truthfully,  _Obito Uchiha."_

It was as if a bucket of cold water has been doused on him. he shivered as a feeling of dread curled in his spine as he watched Sasuke's eyes flashed red with three tomoes of sharingan, as he asked,

"So tell me…. who are you, and where is Sakura?"

He pursued his lips as his eyes darted to and fro from Sasuke to Naruto. Seeing their ferocious eyes and possessiveness towards their  _teammatecompanionfriend,_ Obito was almost relieved. They _cared_. They really cared for the little spitfire that has somehow wormed her way into his heart. Surely, unlike Kakashi, they would not fail to protect her.

_They won't let her die like Rin._

The sudden realization made his shoulders sag in relief and he felt as if the weight pressing him down for almost a decade has disappeared in one single moment. And then, he spoke-

"I don't know….." he whispered as he cradled his head in his hands. "I really don't know….."

* * *

 

* * *

**EXTRA-**

_**Coldcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldcold-** _

_Why was it so cold?_

_The currents of water –was it water?- swept her away with them, making her hear echoes of something that she can't quite understand clearly. Sometimes, some visions would flash before her –of a obnoxious loudmouth Uchiha boy with orange goggles….. of a stuck up silver haired boy who hated his guts…. of a bright, beautiful girl with purple tattoes on her cheeks and a sweet smile that could shoo away every darkness in the world... of a red haired prankster whose love foramen could rival Naruto's…. of a blonde haired man with a kind smile and spine of steel… of a world so bright and full of colors that it chased away all her pain and sadness-_

Memories. _Something whispered in her ear._ They are memories.

_'Of what?' She wanted to ask aloud, only to choke on the stream of darkness that was drowning her- was sweeping her away to god knows where. She was being dragged against her will-_

_**Downdowndowndowndowndown** -_

_And then suddenly, thoughts, feelings, visions- slammed into her and-_

_._

_"Rin, Watch over me as I wear the Uchiha crest and definitely become Hokage!"_

_._

_"Team Seven- Obito uchiha and Rin Nohara! You will be assigned to Jonin Minato Namikaze and his apprentice Kakashi Hatake!"_

_._

_"Obito! You're late!"_

_"Sorry Minato-sensei! I was helping Granny Kyoko with her groceries and lost track of time!"_

_"Liar."_

_"Why you- Bakakashi-"_

_._

_"congratulations Kakashi! You are promoted to Jonin!"_

_"Oi, dobe…. Where's my congratulatory gift?"_

_"Tch, what gift Bakakashi?!"_

_._

_"Kanabi bridge Mission…."_

_._

_"I believe that the White Fang was a true hero."_

_._

_"Yes, You are right Kakashi. In the Ninja world, those who break rules are scum. But I believe, that those who abandon even one of their friends are worse than scum._ I'm scum anyway, so I will choose to break the rules. If doing that somehow makes me less of a true Shinobi, then I'll just go and crush all of the real Shinobi."

_._

_"Kakashi, I'm giving you my Sharingan… I'm about to die….. I'll be_ _your eye. Ke_ _eping watch over what the future brings for you. Kakashi, Please take care of Rin."_

_._

_"RIN! NO!"_

_._

_These visions….. no, memories….._

_They are of…._

Obito?


End file.
